For Who You Are
by finallyfree2b
Summary: *Chapter 15 now posted* My first Office fic! Kate is a school teacher in Scranton who meets Andy the weekend of The Panel/Wedding. A spark ignites and romance blooms. Can the two deal with Andy's life, a fast attraction, and two careers that separate them in two different states? Summary may change as the story progresses.
1. Chapter 1

I sat at the shiny bar top at one of the newer watering holes on Adams Street in Scranton, nursing my gin and tonic. The rustic wooden and stone décor was comforting and inviting. It was a small establishment, but most of the tables were taken. It was a typical Friday night crowd and I was glad for the upcoming weekend. I teach fifth grade at one of the elementary schools, and my class decided to make today a bad day. Was it a full moon? Was it because school was almost over? Maybe both…

I let my finger lazily trace over the outside of the glass, causing the condensation to fall to the cardboard coaster advertising random liquor.

"You look like you've had a rough day." A rough but friendly voice popped up from behind the bar. I looked up to see a large, balding man give me a sympathetic smile as he wiped glasses. "That's a very astute observation." I replied giving him the best smile I could muster.

"Es…" His eyebrows furrowed together at my word choice, and it was then I knew I had to drop the teacher talk.

I held out my hand for him to shake before he could hurt himself from more thinking, "I'm Kate."

His large hand shook mine, it was warm yet firm, "I'm Kevin."

We got to talking about our professions, and I found out that Kevin was a co-owner of the bar and previously worked as an accountant for Dunder Mifflin. I recognized the company because they were the paper supplier for the school district. The staff had been on a TV show that aired on PBS, but I hadn't seen it. I'm lucky to just be on season three of How I Met Your Mother. Kevin excused himself and began stocking liquor on the shelf against the wall, his broad back facing me.

A small camera crew came into the bar and set up in the corner of the bar, which I thought was odd. I was going to say something to Kevin, but then suddenly a large group of guys walked in and headed straight to one of the occupied tables. I glanced over my shoulder and realized that a couple of them were pretty cute. One was taller with shaggy brown hair and a grey sweater, but when my gaze zoomed in on the wedding ring my internal signals glared red. The one standing closer to me with the dark blue button down and dark jacket was definitely catching my eye…and I was in luck, no wedding ring. His dark brunette hair was swept to the right, and my fingers immediately itched to run through it.

 _Whoa there Kate, calm the hell down!_ I thought to myself. I immediately looked back down at my drink and took a large gulp, having an internal scolding session. I realized the camera crew was filming the group of guys, and became intrigued.

I heard Tall and Shaggy ask something to the one with dorky glasses, "Is that Mose?"

"Yes it is!" His friend replied, excitedly annunciating every word. "I am here for my bride!"

I looked over my shoulder again, not being able to help it.

A high pitched gremlin-like giggle came from the table, "Well first buy us a drink!" He started chanting, which got his table to start chanting. Dorky Glasses began doing some kind of jig, which got a guy with a Lincoln beard to jig as well.

"Very well, drinks on me!" A cheer erupted from the gremlin's entourage. "Bartender!" Dorky glasses exclaimed, walking beside me and then making a funny noise as Kevin turned around to face him. Dorky's eyes were bugging out- obviously he knew Kevin.

I took another sip from my glass, this was about to get good, and I had a front row seat.

"Well, well, well, well, well. That's six wells. Did I get that number right, Dwight?"

 _Oh Kevin, honey…_ I thought as I mentally shook my head. I was starting to see why he wasn't an accountant anymore. At least Dorky had a real name now.

Wasn't much of an improvement…

"I heard you bought a bar, Kevin."

"Yes I did- this one. Now, get out!" He motioned toward the front door. Man, Kevin got serious in a hurry!

Dwight turned to Gremlin and Tall and Shaggy, "Why did you pick this place?" Gremlin pointed to Tall and Shaggy, who moaned at him.

"You?" Dwight asked. "You did this as a prank. My own bestest menshe."

 _What the hell is a bestest menshe?!_

Tall and Shaggy replied, "Nope, not a prank. I think it's time for you to bury the hatchet."

Dwight scoffed, "Waste of a good hatchet."

Tall and Shaggy muttered, "Okay just…talk."

Dwight turned back to Kevin, who by now had crossed his arms defensively. "Well, w- "

"I heard you say well the first time." Dwight interrupted him. He sat on the stool next to me and they began talking about when Dwight fired Kevin, and I became a little guilty listening in. My drink was becoming more and more interesting.

Tall and Shaggy was talking to the camera guys, which I later found out was called a Talking Head.

"It was nothing personal. It's just that you were terrible at your job!" Dwight argued. "You're just saying that to make me feel better." "No really, you were terrible at math, and organization, time management, personal hygiene…your internet searches were so filthy we had to throw out your computer!"

"Is that all it was?" "That's it." Kevin reached for Dwight, "Come here!" They hugged over the bar. Dwight's face was squished into Kevin's but I could still hear him say, "I miss you Kevin!"

"I missed you!"

Kevin pulled away and began filling beer steins with the bubbly, frothy beverage as Dwight handed them out to the Gremlin's entourage. "You've had your drink! Now, where is my bride?" He exclaimed.

The Gremlin made his weird giggle again, "The trunk."

"What?!" Tall and Shaggy cried out. "Follow me!" The Gremlin escorted Dwight and Tall and Shaggy to the parking lot.

"How's it going, Kevin?" A rich voice asked as the matching body sat down on the stool that Dwight had previously occupied. He sat his beer in front of him on the bar and shook Kevin's hand. I tried to control my breathing- it was Hot Hair Guy. I quickly downed the rest of my drink in nervousness.

He and Kevin shook hands, "Probably better than you, Andy. I can't believe you went viral!"

Andy sighed and ran his fingers through his hair in slight annoyance, and I couldn't help but bite my lower lip.

"Need another drink, Kate?" Kevin asked me. Andy's attention turned to me and I felt a blush as I nodded, my words failing me.

"And who is your beautiful friend, Kev?" Andy asked, and I could feel my cheeks on fire. I looked at Andy and saw that he had a warm and friendly smile.

"I'm Kate, nice to meet you." I shook his hand cordially, but inside my stomach was doing summersaults. "I'm Andrew, but everyone calls me Andy."

"Or Baby Wah-Wah," Kevin muttered as he set my new glass in front of me and took my empty.

Our handshake was going on a little longer than normal for an introduction, but honestly I didn't want it to end.

We began talking about ourselves- he seemed relieved that I hadn't seen the Dunder Mifflin documentary or a capella reality shows he was on. I wondered why it bothered him so bad, but didn't want to press the issue.

"Are you going to the panel tomorrow?" Kevin asked Andy as he was restocking beer bottles. Andy looked a little apprehensive, and the nurturing side in me took over as I placed my hand on his arm. "What's the panel about?" I asked soothingly, and he turned to me, eyes meeting.

 _God he has nice eyes…_

He looked down at my hand, but made no attempt to remove it. He finally let out a breath, "It's a kind of 'where are they now' catch up since the doc finished airing. Honestly, I left a little disgracefully. I burnt my bridge with the company while I was regional manager, of which I was never really good at. I was at such a low point then…it was embarrassing. It's kind of hard to want to face that all over again."

"Well, it'll be what- a couple of hours? And then that'll be it. You can put that chapter of your life to rest, and then drive back to Cornell and keep doing what you're doing now." He nibbled at his thumbnail on his other hand, not daring to move the arm with my hand. "Well, that's not exactly…it. Dwight, the guy who was sitting by you before…he's marrying my ex-fiance this weekend."

"Oh shit," slipped out of my mouth before I had time to think about it. I cringed, "Sorry that was inappropriate." Surprisingly, Andy tilted his head back and laughed.

"I think you summed it up pretty nicely, actually."

Tall and Shaggy came over from being out in the parking lot, "Andy we've got to head back. Mose locked Angela in the trunk."

"Ah geez…" Andy rolled his eyes with a sigh before downing the rest of his beer. "Kevin, thanks for the beer, buddy. I'll see you in the morning." They shook hands as he got up off the stool, and my hand fell into my lap. I'm pretty sure my heart did the same.

Andy looked down at me, not sure what to say next.

I smiled, trying to mask my disappointment, "Well good luck with everything, Andy. I know you'll be great."

He smiled and pulled out his phone, "Can I call you sometime?"

"Yes." I grabbed his phone without thinking and programmed my number. Handing back his phone, he grabbed my hand and kissed it tenderly. "It was lovely meeting you, Kate. Let's try to get together before I go back to Ithica."

"Absolutely," I replied shyly. He winked at me quickly before walking out with Tall and Shaggy, who patted him on the back. It was faint, but I thought I heard him give Andy a 'Way to go buddy'. Watching him walk out, I bit my bottom lip before turning back to the bar where Kevin was giving me a shit-eating grin.

"What?" I asked, trying to mask my embarrassment. I chugged my drink in two gulps. He snickered, "Nothing, nothing at all."

I threw down a twenty on the bar and stood up, grabbing my clutch from the bar. "Thanks for everything, Kevin. Have a good night." I smiled at him, despite his continuing look.

"Want me to talk to him for you?" He offered. "NO! I mean, no it's okay. He said he'd call sometime."

I really hoped he would.

The Frank Sinatra Pandora station crooned from my TV as I tipsily folded laundry at my small dining table a few hours later. My condo was the perfect size for me- an upstairs with three bedrooms, a garage for my car, and a living room just big enough for my grading couch. I was getting into the song (as well as my second glass of Pino) and almost didn't hear my phone ring from the kitchen counter five feet away from me.

I caught the call just before it went to voicemail, not paying attention to the screen. "Hello?" I answered, ashamedly almost out of breath. "Kate? Hi, it's Andy. Uh, did I catch you at a bad time?" "No, no. I'm just home folding laundry with Pandora on, I guess I turned it up too loud." I grabbed the remote from the coffee table and turned down the volume.

"I'm sorry for calling so late, I just…I want to talk to you more. You've been on my mind since I left the bar. I hope I'm not being too forward." "Absolutely not, I would love to talk more. Would you like to come over here for a drink?"

"Sure, what's your address?" "126 Kellum Court." He didn't say anything for a minute, and for a moment she thought their call got dropped. "Andy?" "You're kidding me right?" "I'm sorry?"

 _What the hell is he going on about?_

"126 Kellum Court?" He repeated like it was the most incredible thing ever. "Yeah…?" "How long have you lived there?" "Just a couple of years, I bought it from a guy who was moving with his wife to Colorado. It was a really sweet story."

"Wow, what a small world." He replied, though it seemed mostly to himself. "Andy, what's going on?" "I'll explain when I get there. I'm not too far away. I should be there in ten minutes."

I spent my remaining alone time putting my laundry away in my room upstairs. As I put my last pair of panties in the drawer, the doorbell chimed downstairs. Going to the door as gracefully as possible, I smoothed my hair down before opening the door.

I was greeted with Andy's phone being held out, showing a picture of himself and a shorter man with dark hair. They were both in what looked like an office conference room at Christmas time. "This was my boss, Michael Scott."

The name sent off a bell in my mind. "Michael Scott! That's who I bought the condo from!" Now Andy's reaction made sense. He grinned and put his phone in his back pocket. I noticed that he had ditched his jacket and his sleeves were rolled up to his elbows. I about died on the spot.

"Please come in," I stepped aside as he crossed the threshold and shut the door behind him. He looked into the living room and grinned. "You certainly decorate better than he does." He gave me another wink before stepping down into the living room. He looked to the left and into the dining area, his eyes glazing over for a moment, obviously re-living something in his mind's eye.

"Can I get you a glass of wine? Bourbon? Beer?"

"You drink bourbon?" "Yeah, all the cool kids do." I grinned and poured him a snifter. He raised his glass to me, and I grabbed my wine that was left on the dining table. "To the classiest lady I just luckily met." Our glasses clinked together, just as "You'd Be So Easy to Love" came on Pandora from the living room.

"Let's go sit out on the patio- it's such a lovely night." I suggested, pushing a curtain away to reveal the sliding glass door to the small backyard. He agreed and we made our way outside with our drinks. I kept the door open a crack so that we could still hear the music. I had an old fashioned porch rocking chair that was for two, and we settled in. My heart was speeding up a bit, and it was then I could smell his cologne. It was wonderful- I was beginning to fall under a spell.

We continued to get to know one another, talking about our childhoods and past relationships. We laughed, we got deep at points…like when he would talk about his parents and brother. Somewhere along the night, his arm ended up resting on the back of the chair, behind my shoulders. A cool breeze blew past us, causing me to shiver slightly despite the heat from the alcohol consumption.

"Getting cold?" He asked, boldly wrapping his arm around me. I looked up at him just as he was looking down at me. The bright moon played shadows on his face, but those eyes still shone through the darkness. "Kiss me?" I questioned back, and bit my lip as soon as I said it. _Shit! Way to scare him—_

Andy's hand cupped my cheek, pulling my lip from my teeth and running his thumb delicately over my lower lip. His own lips soon took the place of his thumb, and I flew to Heaven. He tasted of Bourbon and a slight hint of peppermint. His lips soft, and he knew how to use them. I couldn't lie- I hadn't kissed a guy in probably a year, so I was getting worked up in a hurry. My fingers found his hair, and my earlier wishes came true- his brown hair was full and thick and silky. I hoped other parts of him were, too.

His other arm wrapped around my back and we became enveloped in each other. My head rested on his arm and our kisses deepened. His tongue expertly searched my mouth as my nails lightly scratched at his scalp. Andy pulled back and we caught our breath for a moment, smiling goofily at one another.

"Wow," I panted, my hand moving to the nape of his neck. "Yeah, no kidding…if I may be so bold m'lady, you're so smoking hot." "Oh, please be bold, Andy." I whispered, getting drunk off him. His lips attached back to mine and we continued the dance for several more minutes. I couldn't take much more without going to the next level- I had an itch that needed scratching.

I pulled back just so that our lips barely touched, and I placed my hands on his cheeks while looking him in the eye. "Let's go upstairs," I whispered to him. His eyebrows rose in surprise, but then I could feel the grin grow on his face. "Are you sure?" He whispered back.

I didn't answer, but grabbed his hands and lead him upstairs.


	2. Chapter 2

My heart was exploding as we stepped up into my bedroom. The faint light from the side table lamp casted our shadows on the wall. I turned around to face him and we both shared a nervous smile. Boldly, I reached up and we began kissing him again, because frankly I didn't think I could tire from it. My hands slipped up his chest slowly and I grabbed the top button of his shirt, undoing it. I felt his hands come around to the small of my back, slipping underneath my shirt and touching bare skin. My body ignited on fire in ways I never felt before.

I broke our kiss and navigated my lips to the patch of visible chest hair where I had unbuttoned. I heard his breath catch in his throat- it was exciting for a man to give that kind of reaction when you're doing something to him. I undid the next button and repeated all the way down until he stopped me. Andy scooped me up bridal style and I squealed with delight as he sat me on top of the duvet. He crawled on top of me looking like a Harlequin book cover. I committed the image to memory just before switching the lamp off.

"I can't believe this is happening." He said just before lifting my shirt bottom and kissing my stomach lightly. The sensation caused a moan to escape me, my fingertips finding his hair once more. He traveled north and pushed my shirt up along the way to expose my bra. It was dark, so at least he couldn't see that it was a boring nude color. Andy tried reaching for the hook in the back. "It's in the front," I panted, so overcome with sexual want.

"Oh fuckity hell that's hot." He mumbled and a small giggle erupted from my throat. Andy went to quick work of undoing my bra and taking a nipple in his mouth. I gasped as he took the other one in his hand and massaged it, teasing the nipple with his thumb.

"Andy…?" My voice shook.

He stopped his playing and I could faintly see him as he looked down at me. "Kate? What's wrong?" I could hear the twinge of paranoia in his voice.

I cupped his face in my hand, and he leaned into it adorably.

"I'm going to be honest, it's been a long time since I've been with someone. And you're being so amazing that if you aren't inside of me in ten seconds I'm going to fucking explode." My stern teacher voice came out.

He blew out a loud breath at my bluntness, "As you wish, m'lady."

He sat up and pulled his shirt off while I reached for the side table drawer and grabbed a condom. Clothes flew off in a hurry onto the floor and we were suddenly naked. Even in the dark I could see that he had some goods downstairs.

"Do you have the…"

"Yeah, um, may I?"

"Oh, um, wow. Nobody's asked me that before. That would be…awesome."

I ripped the foil and pulled out the condom, reaching for him gently. He was sitting up on his knees in front of me, like he was praying to an altar. For some reason, it calmed my nerves and made what we were about to do so much more emotional.

I ran my hand over his erection slowly, causing his head to tilt back and groan. It was average in length, but wider than I expected for his build.

I rolled the condom on him and barely had it down the whole way before Andy had me on my back. He kissed me hard as he positioned himself between my willing legs. I felt him guide his tip to my entrance and push in- stars exploded behind my eyes and my back arched off the bed.

"Oh Kate you're so tight, fuck." Andy grunted.

I could feel a sensation building deep inside, and I knew I was going to last.

"Andy I'm not going to make it much longer." I mewled, wrapping my legs around his waist, wanting to feel every inch of him.

"Just come for me, baby." He urged, continuing with his sharp thrusts. It was like he could find that one spot that scratched my itch, and I suddenly fell in waves, tightening around him.

He nibbled at my neck as I caught my breath, feeling embarrassed that it didn't take long.

"Andy I'm so sorry- "

I could feel his smirk in my neck, "That's the best compliment I've ever gotten."

I pulled his face away so that I could give him a kiss that represented how I felt. He was still inside me and I owed it to him to let him finish.

I flipped us around so that I was on top now, and I could see the puzzled yet excited look on his face.

"Wha… Kate, what are you doing?"

"Making you feel good." I began to grind his length while moving up and down.

"Oh-oh my God, yes." His hands grasped my waist and guided my movements, allowing me to be completely filled with him.

He licked his thumb and pressed it against my sensitive nub, sending jolts of lightning in my lower belly and felt that growing sensation once more.

We lay peacefully beside one another, legs tangled together, looking at each other in the dark.

"You're so beautiful." Andy murmured, satiated. He tucked some lose strands of hair behind my ear. I grabbed that hand and placed a gentle kiss on his palm, hardly believing how sweet this man was.

"Are you hungry?" I asked, interlocking our fingers.

He smirked, "Yeah I could use a little grub."

"Grilled cheese?"

"Sounds perfect. Can I use your commode?"

"Absolutely,"

He kissed my hand before climbing out of the bed, going into the en suite bathroom. I got out of bed as well, going to my dresser and pulling on a pair of black boy shorts. His button up shirt was discarded on the floor, so I picked it up and sneakily slipped it on, heading downstairs to the kitchen to fix our sandwiches.

I was browning the first sides when I heard him come downstairs and into the kitchen.

"Hey have you seen my- " I turned to look at him and saw the look on his face as he observed me in his shirt. He was just in his pants, and clutched his chest like the sight of me was giving him a heart attack, a wide grin splayed on his face.

I blushed and turned back to the sandwiches, flipping them over so that they wouldn't burn.

"There's bottled water in the fridge if you're thirsty." I offered. "Oh yeah that'll be great, thank you." He grabbed a bottle and sat down on a stool at the kitchen island, watching me.

"So what time is your panel in the morning?" I asked, grabbing some plates from the cabinet. "Ten. Hey, you should come and watch! You could meet the whole gang! Do you have plans?"

Sliding his sandwich over to him, I thought about what I had to do. A bowl full of nothing, really.

I smiled, leaning on the island with my elbows across from him and bit into my sandwich, shaking my head.

He thanked me before biting into his grilled cheese, groaning in appreciation.

"This is so good, you're spoiling me." It was my turn to give him a playful wink, and tucked into our midnight snack and comfortable conversation.

"So, after the panel is Dwight's wedding. And um, I know we just met and everything, but I really like you…"

"Andy Bernard, are you asking me to be your date?" I asked cutely, making color rise in his cheeks slightly.

His phone suddenly rang from his pants pocket, and he sat down his sandwich to see who was calling him so late.

"It's Darrell- wonder what he wants." He sat the phone on the counter and hit speaker phone, "What's up Darrell?"

"Hey Andy! Did you call that hot girl from the bar yet?"

"Oh geez, um…" The color on his cheeks grew brighter and I laughed, going to the fridge to get a bottle of water for myself.

"Who was that? Was that her? You sly dog! Look, I'm up at the hotel bar getting my drink on and wondered if you were in your room and wanted to join me."

"Well, I'm actually at Kate's house right now."

"Oh I see, we having a slumber party instead! No worries playa, I'll see you bright and early!" The call ended and his iPhone clicked to black.

"Well _playa_ , are we having a slumber party?" I kidded, popping the last of my sandwich in my mouth before turning to dishwasher to my left and setting in on a rack.

He didn't say anything for a moment, so I turned back to him quickly. I was surprised at how intensely he was looking at me already, it was almost startling.

"I, uh…don't want to impose."

I let out a quick laugh, "Andy, we just had sex not six hours after meeting. Nothing about us has begun traditionally. You can stay, it's late anyway."

"And my things are still in my car…" He added to persuade the argument. He got up off the stool and stuck his plate in the dishwasher beside mine. Shutting the door, he turned and engulfed me in a sweet, tender embrace. Leaning back, he placed a kiss on the tip of my nose, making the color in my cheeks rise.

"I'm going to get my things, I'll be right back." He grabbed his car keys off the coffee table on his way out the front door.

I squealed to myself in excitement and made quick time in cleaning off the pan I had used before, then switching on the oven hood light and turning off the overhead kitchen lights.

Andy came back inside and politely locked the door behind him. I met him at the foot of the stairs, "Need some help?" I offered, grabbing his suit bag. Turning off the downstairs lights, we trampled up to the second floor landing.

"Would you feel more comfortable if I slept in your guest room?" He asked, pausing at the doorway.

"Whatever you feel is best, Andy. I don't want to pressure you into anything you don't want." I replied, switching on the light to the room.

He peered in and chuckled to himself, "Last time I saw this room it was completely covered in candles and scented waxes. Michael's girlfriend at the time was trying to start a new business."

"That explains the 'Serenity by Jan' labels I found tucked in the top closet shelf." I giggled, finally solving that mystery. Andy nodded, "That was it. God, she was really looney tunes."

The room was now a tasteful color of beige, with a queen sized bed positioned at the corner by the window.

Andy looked back at me, silently asking me to decide on sleeping arrangements.

I bit my bottom lip before confessing, "I really don't want to be alone tonight."

A smile spread over his handsome face, "Neither do I." He put his suitcases on the bed in the guestroom and I excused myself across the hall to change out of Andy's button down and into one of my normal sleeping tank tops.

Andy returned to the bedroom with his phone and charger in hand, now donning a Cornell t-shirt and sleeping pants. I watched him as he plugged in his phone and set an alarm before getting under the covers. My heart began to beat a little faster as he turned to face me.

"I have a confession," I whispered.

"What's that?" He whispered back.

"I'm a little nervous."

"There's no reason you should be." He caressed his thumb against my cheek, both soothing me as well as creating butterflies in my stomach. "I'm just regular ol' Andy."

"I'm just scared by how much and how fast I'm attracted to you." I bit my bottom lip, scarcely believing at how bold I was being.

He leaned toward me and kissed me deeply, his fingers entangling in my hair.

Andy pulled back, nuzzling his nose against mine sweetly, "Thank you for saying that. I've had such a shitty couple of years- you're a breath of fresh air. I feel so…myself…being around you."

I kissed him back, my heart soaring at his words.

We climbed out of Andy's rental car the next morning at the theatre, the sunshine was blasting on full in the cloudless sky. He was wearing sunglasses, but behind them I knew his eyes were full of apprehension and nerves. I smoothed down my grey floral sleeveless blouse over the waist of my jeans, pulling the sleeves of my navy cardigan to a comfortable level.

I met him at the trunk as he took a deep breath, looking up at the building apprehensively.

"Ready Nard Dog?" I teased, grabbing his hand and giving it a comforting squeeze. I had given him the ringer when I saw his butt tattoo earlier that morning.

He didn't reply, but simply squeezed my hand back and didn't let go- he laced his fingers with mine as we walked across the parking lot and inside.

In the theatre, we found Tall and Shaggy standing next to a pretty lady talking to Dwight.

"Morning, Andy!" The pretty lady greeted with a friendly wave.

"Hey, Pam how's it going?" We walked up to them.

"Good, just ready to get this over with. Who's your friend?" She looked at me and smiled warmly.

"I'm Kate, nice to meet you." I stuck out my hand and shook hers. I was introduced to her husband Jim, aka Tall and Shaggy, and officially introduced to Dwight.

I took Andy's sunglasses and stuck them in my purse. Rubbing his arm soothingly, I told him I was going to find a seat in the auditorium. I could see a bit of apprehension on his face, so I leaned up and gave him a short but sweet kiss. "You'll be fine, and then you can put this all behind you." I whispered to him.

He nodded and took a breath through his nose, "Thank you for being here with me." He whispered back.

I smiled encouragingly and went to find a seat somewhere in the middle left side. It concerned me how much this was bothering him, which made curious as to what happened during those years he was filmed, along with the singing show.

I didn't want to push the issue until he was ready. I glanced at my phone and saw that the panel was due to begin in twenty or so minutes, so I decided to play on Facebook. A few more of his old co-workers were on the stage by now, and Andy seemed a bit more relaxed. This made me relax a bit more as well.


	3. Chapter 3

"Well that was…quite interesting," I remarked to Andy as I went up on the stage after the panel was over and most of the audience had gone.

He smirked and shook his head, "I'm just glad Jim and Pam took the most heat."

"Thanks, buddy." Jim quipped sarcastically from behind him, clapping him on the shoulder.

"We'll see you at the wedding?" Pam asked me as she grabbed Jim's hand.

"Yeah, I'll be there." I nodded, smiling sympathetically at her for what she just went through. She read my stare and smiled back, and I felt an instant connection with her. I hoped that I would be able to get to know her better- even gain a friend. Lord knows I didn't have many in Scranton, save for most of the staff in my building…if you wanted to call them "friends" instead of colleagues.

"Shall we head home and get ready m'lady?" Andy asked, and a feeling of domesticity came over me. I think he felt it too as soon as he said it, because a bit of color suddenly rose in his cheeks. "We shall, good sir." I replied, linking my arm through his and allowing him to escort me to the parking lot.

Andy politely opened my car door for me, but stopped me from getting inside. Instead, he wrapped his arms around my middle and kissed me passionately. I felt my toes curl in my shoes- it was completely unexpected and I loved it.

He pulled back and rested his forehead against mine. "What was that for? Not that I'm complaining, I'll just make sure I do it again in the future." I teased, closely looking into his eyes. By this time my arms had gone around his neck of their own accord.

"You've just been so amazing. I-I don't know what good deed I did that allowed you to come into my life…Lord knows I've had my fair share of mess ups in the last year." I could see the wetness beginning to well up in his eyes, and it broke my heart.

"Andy I've told you, I don't care about all that. You had a lot of personal growth over the years, and you just had to do it on camera, which is shitty. I didn't meet the Dunder Mifflin Andy who always felt like he didn't meet the expectations of others. I met the confident and sexy Andy who rocks the hell out of the Cornell admissions office. You have a lot of passion and caring inside you, and you need to surround yourself with people who are willing to accept that. And you didn't get that by being in Scranton."

"Until now," He added softly, a grin breaking over his face.

I reached up and kissed the tip of his nose, "Let's go get ready for a wedding, Nard Dog."

He sighed teasingly, letting go of me so I could get in the car, "I've always dreamt of a woman saying that to me."

"God I hate cats." I whispered to Andy as I spied a basket of felines on the gift table.

"Thank God," Andy replied as he sat his card down, then winking at me. Looking into the tent where the ceremony was being held, rows of hay bales were strategically placed leaving the center aisle clear. He took my hand and we ended up sitting in the second row from the front on the groom's side. It was then that I realized that there were two holes on the ground at the "altar" adjacent to one another.

"Andy what the fuck are those holes for?" I whispered.

He sighed, shaking his head. "It's in Dwight's family custom that a couple be married standing in…their graves."

My hand flew to my mouth, eyes wide. I stared at my date like he had grown another head. He did not seem surprised at my reaction, but merely nodded.

"That's so creepy. Kind of puts a damper on my getting married in a field image."

"You want to get married in a field?" He asked, smiling cutely.

"Well it's probably better than your idea- you probably want to be married in the Cornell Dining Hall." I bit my bottom lip to keep from laughing and he gaped that I went there. "You have wounded me deeply, m'lady." He shook his head, but his eyes danced with humor.

More guests started to roll in, some I recognized from being on the panel. Meredith sat on the other side of Andy, and he formally introduced us. Jim and Pam sat in front of us, and I complimented on how pretty her dress was. Jim quietly mentioned to Andy that Michael was in the house and was going to be Dwight's new best man. The news made Andy smile, and he wrapped his arm around my lower back, squeezing me closer to him, if that were possible.

A few minutes later the man himself walked out and some of the Dunder Mifflin employees, current or former, excitedly waved at him. He came over and hugged Pam before reaching out to shake Andy's hand. "Who's your beautiful date, Andy?" He asked. "This is Kate, she actually bought your old condo here." A lightbulb went off in Michael's mind, "Oh! Oh gosh yes, Kate Fletcher! It's so great to meet you!" He shook my hand as well. "Nice to meet you, Mr. Scott. I hope you and your wife are well." "We're great, she's back home in Colorado with the kids. We couldn't be happier."

Dwight came outside and Michael excused himself so that he could get into position. "I can't believe he remembered my name." I commented. "Michael's always been good with names and remembering little quirks about people, that's how he was so good at sales." I nodded in silent understanding.

The ceremony was an interesting one, but sweet seeing these two people who loved each other become a family.

After dinner, the sun was starting to set over the sprawling land of the beet fields. Andy and I joined the other couples on the dance floor for a slow number. Being in his arms felt so right, and as he planted a soft kiss on my neck, I felt the familiar prick of tears in my eyes. The sniff I was trying to hide seemed to have not passed by him, because his face immediately shot up, eyes concerned.

"Kate, sweetheart, what's wrong?" We stopped swaying, and his hands went from the small of my back to my cheeks. I bit my bottom lip to keep from tearing up further, "Can we talk privately somewhere?" "Yeah…" he dragged out, probably thinking the worst, but I needed to get it out.

He grabbed my hand and led me to a bench that faced the setting sun. The Gremlin guy was making out with a scarecrow dressed like a woman, but it didn't distract me from how I was feeling.

We sat down and Andy immediately grabbed my hands, looking at me intently and waiting for me to talk. I couldn't look at him in the face, so I just stared at our adjoined hands.

"Spending this time with you has been amazing. But I know that you have to go back home tomorrow…so I can understand if today is…it, for us."

"Oh, Kate…" He grabbed my face and kissed me hard, and it threw me for a loop.

"Look at me," he said seriously. I finally got the nerve to look him in the eye. "You're the best thing to happen to me in a long time, Kate. It's only been a day but I'm falling for you so hard it's making my head spin and I'm trying to figure out how to deal with it."

"Ditto," My grin cracked my face wide open that my cheeks were hurting. With one more kiss, he stood up and reached for my hands. "Come on, you owe me a dance." His smile was infectious and I always wanted him to look at me that way.

Leaving the wedding a few hours later, Darryl and Andy were talking about a party in the warehouse of Dunder Mifflin. They were giving the Toby guy guff for 6:30 being late, but talked him into going too. We slipped into Andy's rental and left Schrute Farms.

"You should go spend time with your friends. You can drop me off at home." I grabbed his hand that was resting on the shift knob. He looked a little disappointed, "You don't want to come see where the magic happened?" I smiled, "Do you want me to know about all the magic?"

He hissed through his teeth as he turned back into the city limits, "Well, maybe not all of it."

I giggled.

"You sure you don't want to go?" He asked one more time.

"Yeah, go have fun with your friends."

He dropped me off at the house and I waved him goodbye from the driveway. I prayed that this was his closing chapter and could move on completely.


	4. Chapter 4

I was awakened by Andy slipping my reading glasses off my face sometime later that night. I was trying to stay awake by reading my worn down copy of Pride and Prejudice in bed, but somewhere during Wickham and Lydia running off together I fell asleep. My eyes fluttered open and I realized he was sitting on the edge of the bed next to me. I looked up at his charming smile, and started smiling myself. I reached up and ran my fingers through the front of his hair, "How was the party?" I asked quietly.

He nodded before speaking, "It was good…until we discovered that Creed was living in a closet in the office and got arrested." He smirked, and I could tell he was re-living the moment. "Wow, sounds exciting." I sat up and put my book on the nightstand beside me. "I missed you," Andy said, and leaned forward and kissed me, which quickly escalated into a steamy make out session. My fingers made quick work of unraveling his bowtie and undoing the first couple of buttons of his blue shirt.

His lips found my neck and I gasped quietly as he found that one spot that awakens me.

I reached out awkwardly for the lamp and switched it off…

Sunlight pored through my curtains the next morning as I woke up, a smile already fixed on my face. I stretched out lazily only to realize that I was the only one in bed. Looking at my alarm clock, it read a quarter after eight. The smell of bacon reached my nose and I wanted to cry on the spot- Andy was cooking breakfast downstairs.

I slipped on a pair of black leggings and one of my comfy school district shirts before doing my morning business. Padding downstairs quietly, I could hear him singing to himself. I _did_ enjoy his voice a lot. He told me he could play banjo and guitar, too.

I could do none of these things, which made him all the more appealing.

His back was to me, flipping bacon in the skillet. I sat on a stool at the counter and cutely watched him work. "Hey I was just getting ready to wake you." He glanced at me with his charming smile.

"You didn't have to do all this," I replied, gesturing at the plates of eggs and pancakes. He turned off the stove before plating the crispy bacon. "I know, but I wanted to." He winked and then poured me a cup of coffee. "I'm going to have to start buying this brand, it's so much better than mine." He commented to himself before refilling his mug.

We sat at the dining table and tucked into our meal, which tasted amazing and definitely earned him brownie points. "Andy this is so good, thank you. Nobody's made me breakfast since I lived at home."

The thought of my parents made my heart twinge sadly, I missed them so much.

He reached out and squeezed my hand, "I couldn't imagine losing both of my parents in the same year. That must have been so hard for you." I nodded and took another drink of coffee before speaking, "It was. At least I had my sister to lean on."

I didn't want to start the day with that drab of a conversation, so I changed the topic, "So when do you have to head back home?" He shrugged a shoulder while munching on a piece of bacon, "Sometime this evening. Why?"

"Just preparing the inevitable I suppose."

He let out a breath, "Well, let's make today all about us. Finish up, and we can get started." I could see the wheels in his head turning as he started to eat quicker.

I was getting full, but my appetite was growing for something different. "I should probably hop in the shower, I've suddenly become…" I put a little maple syrup on my finger and suggestively sucked it off.

"…sticky."

Winking in his direction, I got up as his jaw dropped slightly and slowly made my way to the stairs. When I reached the landing I heard his dining chair scrape back and his running footsteps in my direction.

I giggled and ran up the stairs as he chased me from behind.

I reached the bathroom first and tried to shut him out but Andy squeezed his way in through the gap in the door. He grinned, pulling me into his arms and kissing me hotly. He picked me up by the back of my thighs surprisingly and sat me on the bathroom counter and settled himself between my legs. He wasted no time slipping my t-shirt over my head, his lips finding my left breast.

"Oh Andy…" I sighed, my fingers moving through his hair and encouraging him further. I still couldn't believe how skilled he was. My head was resting against the cool glass of the mirror as his lips traveled further south. He grabbed the waistband of my leggings and began slipping them down, I lifted my hips up to give him better access.

I heard them fall to the floor and watched him get down on his knees and wrap his arms around my legs. Andy began to kiss the inside of my thighs, teasingly avoiding a certain spot. "You're such a tease," I sighed. I heard him chuckle and felt his smile against my sensitive skin. In response, his hot mouth found the apex of my thighs and I moaned loudly.

My eyes were shut so tightly from pleasure I was seeing stars.

"Did we actually shower?" Andy asked an hour later as we lounged on the couch. I giggled, "I don't remember. We did other things in the shower, I definitely remember that." I moved my head from its position on his leg so that I could look at him, grinning.

He gave me a shy smile and stroked his thumb against my cheek. My eyes fluttered closed at the feeling and a wave of peace came over me.

Andy's phone rang from the coffee table so I reached out to grab it for him, trying not to be rude and look at the screen.

He swiped the screen and put the phone to his ear, "Hey Tuna what's up?"

I looked up at him in confusion. _Tuna?_ I mouthed, and only earned a grin and a wink.

"Let me clear it with the lady, hold on." He put the phone against his shoulder, "Jim and Pam want to know if we want to go to lunch with them at one."

I nodded, grinning. For the brief time I met them, I really like them.

Andy got back on the phone and finalized plans to meet at Cooper's. "So what should we do to kill a couple of hours?" He asked.

"Well, I could use some new clothing items. Shall we jaunt to the Viewmont Mall? You don't have to go if you don't feel like it."

He shrugged a shoulder, "Doesn't hurt me any. I could use a new shirt to wear for today anyway."

I stood at the back of the short line at Express with a couple of pairs of shorts, a few button down shirts, and a brown pair of gladiator sandals that were discounted. I watched Andy try to decide between two checkered shirts in the men's section- one in blue and white, and the other in red and white. I couldn't help but smirk, he looked cute when he was trying to make up his mind.

He looked up at me and I blushed slightly at being caught staring at him. He mouthed for me to help him decide on one. He held the red one against himself and I bit my lip- it didn't seem like _him_. I shook my head and he then moved the blue shirt against him. It went perfectly with his chestnut brown hair and I nodded with a thumb's up. He nodded in my decision and put the red one back on the sales rack before joining me in the back of the line.

"I picked the red since it's Cornell colors, but if you think the blue looks better…" he dragged his sentence, teasing me.

"As a matter of fact, I do." I replied, moving up to the next spot in line.

Andy glanced at his watch, "We'll have just enough time to get back to the house and get ready."

"Perfect," I smiled up at him.

"Like you." He added, leaning down and kissing my temple.

Inside, I melted. "You just earned yourself an Orange Julius, buddy." I winked, poking my tongue out through my teeth.

"Yes." He replied with his eyes closed, closing resembling Napoleon Dynamite with the way he drew his fist in.

I giggled, and noticed that the person checking out in front me was taking her bag and leaving. I walked up and deposited my items on the counter top, exchanging the normal niceties with the clerk.

"Your total comes to $118.90." She said as she bagged my clothes.

A cold chill ran down my back, and I was reminded of why I didn't shop at the mall. I pulled my Visa from my wallet and ran it through the machine. "I'll just need to see your ID while you sign." The clerk stated, and I handed over my driver's license before scribbling a semblance of my signature on the credit card screen.

"Oh, Happy Birthday tomorrow." The clerk grinned as she handed it back. _Shit is it tomorrow?_

I smiled politely, "Thank you." "Wait, tomorrow's your birthday?" Andy asked from behind me, looking up from his phone. "Yep," I replied, shoving my wallet back into my purse. He wore a surprised look on his face when I looked over my shoulder at him, "How come you didn't say anything about it?"

The clerk put my receipt in my bag and handed it over, and I politely thanked her before taking it and scooting to the side so Andy could buy his shirt.

I shrugged before speaking, "I don't know, it doesn't matter really, you're not even going to be in town."

He exhaled through his nose and didn't say anything more until we were walking out of the store to the parking lot.

"Look, birthday's just aren't a big deal to me anymore. My parents were the ones who did special things for me and my sister. And she lives in Tulsa, so I only get a phone call from her if she happens to remember."

He was still eerily silent when we reached his car. He popped the trunk and put his bag in before politely taking mine and doing the same. Closing the trunk, he turned and grabbed my face in his hands, putting his lips against mine. After a few seconds he pulled back slowly, looking me straight in the eyes, "I don't want you to ever have to go through that again. You shouldn't deserve to feel like your special day doesn't matter. Because there are times where I have felt like I don't matter, and it's the worst feeling in the world. And Kate, you matter a lot to me."

I could feel tears springing behind my eyes, damn did that guy know how to make a speech.

"God I'm so glad Dwight's weird cousin picked Kevin's bar that night." I mumbled, hugging Andy around his middle and placing my head against his chest. I felt him kiss the top of my head, "Me too." He whispered.


	5. Chapter 5

I sat in the teacher's lounge on the last Monday of the school year munching on my cheese stick. My thoughts were of course about Andy as my teaching partners gabbed about what they were going to do over the summer. I looked at my phone for the hundredth time to no avail, not a word had been said since this morning when he wished me a happy birthday. I knew he'd be busy in the admin office with applications, but it still made me a little depressed.

"Kate what's your plans for the summer?" Deidra, the other 5th grade teacher, asked politely as she snapped into her celery. I twisted my mouth as I thought…what _was_ I going to do?

"Not sure yet, that's still up in the air."

"So who's the guy you were with at the mall yesterday?" Parker added. He was a Para and helped in our classrooms everyday with some of our tougher kiddos. I stared at him wide-eyed…I had no idea someone had seen me!

"Um," I could feel the heat rising in my cheeks, which got the table to break out into a chorus of 'ooohs'. I checked my phone for the time, "Isn't it time for recess?" I knew damn well we still had ten minutes.

"Quit avoiding the question, are you seeing someone?" Deidra grilled, grinning excitedly. I took a breath through my nose, "Yes."

She clapped excitedly, "Who is he?"

How much did I want to divulge? "Well his name's Andy. He used to live here but now he works for Cornell University." Parker dropped his fork and stared at me, and I could practically hear the cogs turning in his head. "Wait, was he on TV last year? Did he work for the company that supplies the paper for the whole district?"

"A little." Was all I could reply with.

"Ho-ly shit, Kate. You're dating Baby Wa-Wa!" He gaped.

 _Shit._

"No, his name is Andy. And he's the…sweetest man I've ever met." I could feel myself starting to get emotional, so I stood up and grabbed my trash off the table.

"Kate I didn't mean anything by it, I'm sure he's awesome." Parker's tone changed to a softer, more apologetic sound.

"I know," I replied, giving him an 'I forgive you' smile and tossed everything in the garbage before exiting the lounge.

I went down a hallway to the workroom that held our mailboxes and grabbed the few items stuck in mine. I was heading out through the main office when one of the secretaries stopped me.

"You've got a birthday present," Candace grinned and nodded to the large bouquet of daisies sitting in a clear vase on the counter. My mouth gaped open in shock- I had never been sent flowers before!

Setting my mail next to them, I took a moment to gaze at my favorite flowers before finding the card:

 _To my beautiful lady on her special day. I'm sorry I can't be there with you,_

 _but hope these make up for it. I miss you a lot and hope you have a wonderful_

 _birthday._

 _Andy_

"Can I ask who they're from?" Candace asked, noticing the smile on my face. I picked the vase and my mail up off the counter before replying.

"Hopefully my future husband."

I was sprawled out on my bed that evening, drinking straight from a bottle of sparkling wine celebrating my freedom for the summer. I was going to miss my kiddos but glad to have the time off to just read books and relax. I had gotten my annual call from my sister around dinner time and I told her about Andy. She was excited for me, but then abruptly had to get off the phone because my nephew was getting ready to swallow a bottle cap.

My head was starting to feel a little fuzzy from the wine, but it felt delicious.

I wanted to feel a little more relaxed, and knew that the small hot tub in the backyard would do the trick. Slipping out the sliding door, I unfolded the cover and turned it on- setting the temperature to warm and bubbly. I went back inside to slip on my bikini. The black material felt sexy against my skin. My thoughts immediately went to Andy, and my heart twinged with longing. I missed him already, and couldn't wait to see him again.

I went back outside and sat my phone and a towel on the adjoining table, along with a new bottle of bubbly. Stepping up and into the hot water, my muscles immediately began to relax and I let out a moan of happiness. I closed my eyes and felt the jets work at the knots in my back. I leaned my head against the notched rest and opened my eyes again, watching the beautiful sunset over Scranton. Far above a plane flew overhead, leaving a line in the sky in its wake. Damn, it was so peaceful in this moment I couldn't help but smile faintly.

"Hi beautiful,"

I gasped and shot up, my head letting out a throb of protest. Andy was standing in front of me.

In person.

In my backyard.

In front of me.

My hands covered my mouth in surprise and all of a sudden I began to cry.

"Oh honey!" He walked over to the hot tub as I scooted to the edge and we embraced. He kissed the top of my head, "Happy birthday, Kate. I saw you got my flowers, did you like them?" I cupped his face and kissed him deeply. Pulling back, I stared into his eyes so that he knew I was sincere, "I love them. And I…"

 _Holy shit, I almost blurted something out that I shouldn't._

I could tell that he realized what I was about to say, but was polite enough not to mention it.

Looking up at him, he smiled down at me and kissed me deeply. My fingers grabbed at his dress shirt- he must have come straight from the admin office. Pulling back slightly, I murmured against his lips seductively, "Come join me?"

"I didn't bring a – " "Shh- I don't care."

We grinned at each other as he stood back, stripping down to his boxers. I grabbed the bottle of wine and took a drink as I watched him undress. My insides were doing summersaults as he got into the hot tub and sat beside me.

"Drink?" I asked him, holding out the bottle. Andy shrugged a shoulder before grabbing the bottle from me and taking a swig. He made an approving noise, "That's pretty good."

"I know I've already had a bottle." I said and giggled. He set the bottle down and I moved into his lap, and we snuggled.

"This is the best birthday ever, I'm so glad you're here." "Me too, sweetie." He kissed my shoulder tenderly.

"How long are you here?" I asked, knowing that anything he would say wouldn't be long enough.

"A couple of days. I'm all yours." I squealed and hugged him closer, causing him to chuckle.

I turned and slid between his legs, pressing my back against his and resting my head against his shoulder. He wrapped his arms around me, sliding his right hand low on my belly, just above my sex. Andy's mouth nibbled kisses on that one spot that drove me crazy and he knew it. My eyes closed. He knew my body well in the short time we'd been acquainted.

I couldn't help the moan that passed my lips.

A hardness pressed against me. A hand slipped in my bikini bottoms and brushed delicately against my sensitive spot. I became a ball of sensation.

I became his.


	6. Chapter 6

We had made it to the grading couch after making love in the hot tub an hour or so later. We were wrapped up against each other with an old t-shirt blanket, naked and keeping each other warm against the chill of the open back door. We faced one another, smiling happily. He lazily traced patterns on my back with his finger.

I was in Heaven.

"I want you to do something for me," He murmured. My questioning look urged him to continue.

"I need you to watch the doc."

My questioning look switched to confusion. "What?"

Andy slipped off the couch in all his glory before picking up his pants off the floor and slipping them on. His weekender bag sat at the foot of the stairs and he reached inside it, pulling out a DVD with a basic case labeled _The Office: An American Workplace_.

I sighed and sat up, holding the blanket against me.

He popped the disc into the player and switched the TV over to its proper settings.

"Andy why are you making me watch it?"

He slipped his dress shirt back on before grabbing his shoes and sitting beside me on the couch to put it on.

"Because I want you to see everything before anything with us goes further."

He leaned over and kissed me and then grabbed his car keys.

"Where are you going?" I asked, feeling like my head was spinning from his sudden change in behavior.

"I'm going to get us some dinner. Watch episodes 6 and 15."

He was out the door without another word. I looked at the TV and studied the home screen with the episode listing. I quickly changed upstairs before returning to the couch. I wrapped the blanket were sharing around me- it smelled faintly like him. Grabbing the remote, I arrowed down to the sixth line. I took a deep breath before hitting play.

It started off with Dwight looking for a new job. Apparently he had left Dunder Mifflin for a while and got a job at Staples. The next scene was in the office, and a younger looking Andy showing off the ringtone he had made to Jim. There was something different in Andy's mannerisms. He seemed like…a douche. I felt like he was overcompensating for a lack in confidence. Like he was trying too hard. But I had to admit, he looked good in pink.

The episode continued with the group throwing a welcome back party for Oscar and dealing with Dwight being gone. Also, Creed was a really weird guy. No wonder he got arrested. On the screen, Andy was searching for Michael, who was hiding behind his office door.

" _I don't understand how someone can have so little self-awareness."_

That comment threw me off a little bit. Obviously it was a funny line because Michael himself had no self-awareness.

The end of the episode came along, with Michael confronting Andy for following him around all day. Andy's cell phone was ringing from the ceiling for the umpteenth time thanks to Jim's prank. It was funny up until now, and it was clear Andy was imploding at that moment. He suddenly turned around and punched the wall behind him. I gasped, putting a hand over my mouth. My stomach went into my throat and for a moment I felt ill.

I was shocked that he was so angry that he acted that way. One thing was for sure, it was clear that Dwight and Angela loved one another, even then.

Andy was nowhere to be seen for the rest of the episode until the last scene when he was driving to anger management.

 _Holy shit, he was in anger management._

He used sales tactics on one of the workers, introducing himself before the episode cut off. The screen returned to the menu and I took a few minutes to absorb what I had just watched.

 _This isn't the Andy I know. That I've only known for four days. Does he still get this angry? Has he hit anything since? Did management really help?_

I took a breath and tried to clear my head and think rationally. Looking at the filming date, it happened in 2006- that was 7 years ago. I certainly wasn't the same person I was 7 years ago. Obviously, he wasn't either. I grabbed the remote and pressed the button until episode 15 was highlighted. It was called "The Boat". It was dated last year.

It started with a more familiar looking Andy being surrounded by a team of attorneys. Pam's voice over narrated that Andy's dad had completely destroyed the family and run away to Argentina. Andy was the manager at this time, and part of me swelled with pride. Of course, I knew what happened afterward in vague details so that proud feeling didn't last long.

" _Are the 'nards hurting? Yeah you bet. Got kicked pretty hard. Family shattered, super sad._ But _, I'm kind of crushing it in the damage control department, so…that's cool. Wish my dad could see me now. Course he caused this whole mess so…fuck him."_

"Bravo!" I cried out loud with a bit of a giggle. My proud feeling came back. He continued to deal with financial issues, and he was trying to find money for his mother somewhere, worrying about the family boat. I knew from talking with him that the boat was gone, and part of me wished I could have ridden it with him. Erin was rambling on about ramen and Darryl not wanting to sell a Jiffy Lube.

"My God that girl is dumb, what did he see in her?" I asked myself. I then felt a little guilty, she didn't have parents growing up, so the girl had a slight handicap. She tried to cheer him up with watermelon teeth, but he wasn't having it. I made a note that apparently fake teeth did not work to cheer him up.

I didn't want to watch them go on a date, so I fast forwarded it to the end of the episode. He was sailing off on the boat with his brother. He looked so proud.

Before I realized it, tears were streaming down my face. I felt so bad for him. He was obviously desperate for some kind of semblance of normalcy and family. His relationship with Erin was starting to fade without him realizing. There was still the singing show debacle in his future…he had really come a long way since a year ago.

The current Andy- my Andy- came inside the house with bags from Cugino's. He noticed that I was upset and sighed, his face falling. Setting the bags on the coffee table, he threw down his keys and sat down next to me.

"You don't want to be with me, do you?" He asked. He hung his head and sighed before standing up and grabbing his keys.

"Where are you going Andy?" I asked, standing up and grabbing his hand. He turned around, looking confused for a moment. I reached up and grabbed his face, getting on my tip-toes to kiss him deeply. His arms went around me immediately, holding me tightly.

We pulled back after a minute. "Kate…" My name passed through his lips and it was then I knew he had my heart.

"Andy I'm all in. Are you?"

He grinned, resting his forehead against mine.

"Sweetheart I was in pretty much the moment we met."


	7. Chapter 7

We settled into bed sometime around two. After our Italian dinner, and then a round of our first "couple" sex, I was completely beat. We were snuggled under the sheet, and I could feel my eyes getting droopy until I heard his voice faintly say my name.

"Hmm?" I responded, jerking back awake.

"Were you asleep?" He asked. "Nope," I replied back quickly. "Wow, only been official a few hours and already telling lies." He joked, making me chuckle. He took a breath before continuing, "What did you watch that made you so upset?"

"Oh, um…" "Kate, please tell me." "Well, I was a bit shocked when you punched a wall." I could feel him tense up a bit, so I squeezed him closer, if it were possible. "Have you ever felt that angry since then?"

I heard him take a breath, and I could tell he was thinking. "Yes, I have felt that angry. But I've never hit anything. I hope you don't feel like I'd ever hit you. Please don't ever think that, sweetheart." His embrace tightened slightly.

"I don't." I replied. I meant it.

"What else?"

"When you were selling the boat and went on your trip."

"Why did that upset you?" He asked curiously. "Because Andy, you were already dealing with such a monumental ordeal, and you were giving up something that you had dreamed about having for so long…plus it was right before Erin dumped you, before the singing show…"

"You know what though? The nice thing about dreams is that when you think one isn't coming true, life hands you a dream you didn't realize you wanted, but deep down feels like you've always needed."

"You mean working for Cornell?"

"No silly, you,"

My heart skipped a beat at his words.

"I don't think I've ever been called someone's 'dream' before." "Good." He replied, kissing the top of my head. "I don't want to scare you off, but I feel so deeply for you already…I can't describe it. Don't take this wrong, but being with you just seems so…"

"Easy?" I offered. "Exactly!"

"I feel it too. I know it won't always feel that way, but it's just nice."

"Sometimes the heart doesn't know what it wants until it finds what it wants."

"That's really nice, Andy."

He chuckled, "Yeah Pam told me that once. There's one problem, though."

"What's that?"

"What are we going to do about the distance?" He asked.

"Well, I don't have developmental meetings until the end of July. Then I usually start focusing on school after that. I could stay with you for a while if you'd like- I've never been up there before. We can worry about everything else later." I kissed his chest lovingly.

"Okay, I won't worry then." "Good. Besides, we're not officially official yet."

"Why's that?" He wondered.

"It's not on Facebook." I joked, to which I heard him mumble a swear word before chuckling. "Well, we can fix that." I felt him reach over for his phone on the nightstand and unlocking it. The brightness of the screen glared out in the dark, temporarily blinding me. I saw that his wallpaper was the Cornell logo and knew we would have to fix that.

He got on Facebook and searched for me, then sent a friend request. My phone dinged from my side of the bed. I reached for my phone and accepted it. Part of me was anxiously awaiting the next part like a love-struck teenager. Then the notification popped up- someone wanted to actually claim that they were dating me. I quickly accepted it before he had a chance to change his mind, then stared at the post on my timeline:

Andy Bernard is now in a Relationship with Kate Fletcher

"Better?" He teased, locking his phone screen. I did the same, setting it back down on the side table to charge. "Much." I kissed his cheek and we were both asleep within ten minutes.

The next morning, Andy was helping me clean up my classroom and get everything off the floor for the summer deep cleaning. I sat at the kidney shaped table that was my desk and small groups area throwing away papers and worksheets. He sat across from me with his chin resting in his hand. I looked up at him and blushed, seeing him look at me intently.

My boyfriend Andy.

"Why are you blushing?" He asked cutely, grinning. I think my blush got deeper, and I turned to my Mac and checked my email even though I hadn't gotten any new ones.

"I'm not, just having a hot flash." I replied, not looking up at him. "Gross," he teased. I tossed a balled up scrap of paper at him, and it cleaning ricochet off his forehead.

I saw a body walk past my door and then track back before walking in. I glanced up and saw Deidra and grinned, "Hey friend what you up to?"

"Just cleaning and wanted a soda. Is this the famous Andy who stole my best friend's heart?" She looked at Andy and stuck out her hand, smiling warmly, "Hi I'm Deidra."

He stood up politely and shook her hand, "I'm Andy, pleasure to meet you."

They sat down and we visited for a while before she went back to her room to clean. I checked everything off of my list that we had accomplished- which was most of it. All we had left was to put the chairs in my closet and the chapter was closed on the school year.

"Let's go to lunch." Andy suggested as I locked the closet door.

"Okay bossy," I teased, placing a hand on his chest and kissing him lightly. We embraced quickly and he bit my ear playfully. "Ow!" I giggled.

"Thanks for helping me. I would've been here all day."

"What are boyfriends for?" He replied as he handed me my purse and laced his fingers through mine.

"Wouldn't know they all sucked,"

"Well, I'll only suck a little…if you know what I mean." He winked and I had to bite my lip to keep from laughing. I shook my head but didn't look at him.

Out in the parking lot, the air was starting to feel a little humid.

We slipped into my Explorer and I drove from the lot. "Where would you like to go eat?" I asked him as we sat at a stop light.

"Hmm, how about Backyard Ale House?" Andy suggested.

"That sounds good. I could use a beer." I replied as I headed for Linden Ave.

"Yeah I worked hard today." He put his hand on my thigh and squeezed playfully. I squealed slightly and jumped in my seat.

"I'm in the mood to listen to show tunes, do you mind?" I asked looking over at him. He scoffed, "Please! Show tunes are in my wheelhouse." I opened the center console and slipped the movie soundtrack from Sweeney Todd into the CD player.

"This is freaky." Andy declared as the ominous organ music filled the car.

"It's just a play, calm down." I teased.

He shook his head, "No- I was in Sweeney Todd a few years ago!"

I furrowed my eyebrows, "Wait. You mean at the Loose Screw Playhouse? I went to that play!" The light turned green and I pressed the gas when it suddenly came to me, "Ho-ly shit! You were the sailor whose phone rang in the middle of the production!" I cried out and then began to laugh at the coincidence.

Out of the corner of my eye I could see him shake his head at the memory.

I sighed, "You were really good though. I wanted to come up and introduce myself afterwards but I chickened out. You seemed like you were looking for someone."

He nodded, "Yeah I was trying to get Erin to go out with me. That's crazy, to think that our paths almost crossed back then." I glanced over to see him looking out the window as we headed downtown.

"Tell me what you're thinking, Andy." I said softly, turning the music down a touch. He shook his head, almost like he was shaking himself from a fog. "I'm just imagining what it would have been like to know you back then. Maybe I could have avoided a lot of fuck ups."

"Better now than never I guess. Things happen for a reason." I squeezed his hand in encouragement before pulling up to the restaurant. Shutting the car off, we sat in the quiet for a moment. I looked to him, and he smiled back warmly.

"I don't want to think about that never." He reached up to stroke my cheek before getting out of the car. Running around to my side, he opened my door and helped me out. Looping his arm through mine, he escorted me inside the restaurant, "Come on, you owe me a beer."

Fifteen minutes later, we sat in a cozy corner table in the restaurant sharing a plate of chips and dip. We sat beside one another, our shoulders barely touching. The window to our right gave us a view of downtown Scranton buzzing at lunchtime.

I watched as he sent a text to his brother Walter- who was going by Walt these days since their father took off a year ago. Walt was asking about me from what I could briefly see. Andy's long, dexterous fingers held his phone delicately as he typed with his thumbs.

It was then I remembered from the night before that I wanted to get a picture with him.

I opened my "selfie" camera and held my phone out at arm's length. Through the camera I could see Andy look up and shyly grin, putting his face against mine. I quickly snapped the photo and checked it out.

"You make me look good." I commented, setting it as my phone wallpaper.

"On the contrary, m'lady. You are all the looks in this relationship." He replied, kissing my cheek briefly.

I quickly took another picture while his lips pressed against my face, pretending to be shocked. The bubble of giggles I held inside came busting out. "What? Let me see that." He demanded, ripping the phone out of my hand before studying the screen and grinning.

"Oh yeah, that one's coming with me." He stated, forwarding the picture in a text. I watched him save the photo before switching the Cornell logo on his wallpaper.

I grinned wildly with happiness.

The screen suddenly popped up with a text message from Erin Hannon:

 _Is it the girl you brought to the panel and the wedding? You're dating now?_

The waitress dropped off our lunches, which delayed my reaction for about ten seconds.

My green eyed monster was about to go full-on bitch. I wiped my sweating hands on my denim shorts. My salad was so interesting at that moment I couldn't look away.

"This is…so awkward." Andy mumbled, sighing slightly. "I don't know why she sent that. I haven't talked to her since the wedding, I swear."

"Oh Andy," I replied as I put my head on his shoulder. "She was a big part of your life up until last year. There's bound to be some kind of…response." I tried to be as gentle as I could. I picked at some of the toppings on my salad as he typed out some kind of reply.

He pushed his phone on the tabletop to where it was under my line of sight. I saw his reply immediately underneath what she said:

 _Yes, Erin. Her name is Kate. She's absolutely wonderful and everything I never knew I needed._

"Ouch," I smiled and handed the phone back to him. His response gave me a sense of comfort that brought my appetite back.


	8. Chapter 8

'My phone rang just as we pulled into my garage, and I recognized the number right off the bat.

"Hi Pam, how are you?" I asked, looking at Andy who had a surprised reaction on his face.

"Hi Kate, I'm doing okay. Listen, I was wondering if you could us a favor tonight? Jim and I have to go see our realtor about finding a house in Austin and sign some papers. My mom is feeling under the weather and I don't trust many people in this town. Is there any possible way that you could watch Cece and Phillip?"

"Andy's with me tonight, but we'd be happy to. What time should I be at your house?" I saw Andy raise an eyebrow in curiosity out of the corner of my eye. "How's 6:30?"

"We'll see you then!"

That evening, I knocked on their front door in case the kids were napping. Andy stood behind me with his hands in his pockets, humming to himself. I looked over my shoulder at him and grinned.

He smiled back, reaching to wrap me in his arms and planting a kiss in my hair.

Jim opened the door, "Hey guys! Thank you so much for doing this for us." He held the screen door open for us as we went inside.

Going into the living room, Pam was putting some items in her purse from the couch. She looked up and grinned her pretty grin in gratefulness. "You are so amazing, thank you for doing this!" Pam got up and hugged me before moving on to Andy.

"Don't worry about it, Pam. We're happy to do it. I just wish you guys weren't moving." I replied, making a face at her.

"I know it. I wish we could've known each other longer, and that the kids would've had you for a teacher." She bit her bottom lip and made a face, and I could see her eyes were starting to get wet.

"We shouldn't be longer than a couple of hours. There's beer and drinks and food in the fridge so help yourself to whatever." Jim offered, coming up to his wife and putting a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"Phillip is napping. He should be up within the hour. Cece is playing in her room." Pam told me as they headed for the front door.

"No sweat you guys, we'll be fine." Andy replied as the daughter Halpert came into the living room.

"Uncle Andy and Kate are going to watch you for a bit while Daddy and I go do something." Pam told her, leaning down to pick her up and kiss her cheek.

"You buy me new toy?" She asked, grinning cutely.

"Maybe if you're good." Jim replied, winking and kissing her other cheek.

"Come on, Cece. Let's go check out your cool toys!" Andy said excitedly as he took the little girls hand and they went into her bedroom. Jim and Pam took the opportunity to exit the house with a wave.

A wave full of hope and promise for the future.

"Geez Phillip, why don't you actually get something in your mouth?" I teased the young toddler as he fed himself small pieces of green beans.

It was going on 8:30, and Jim and Pam were still out. The process was taking longer than they anticipated.

Kate and Andy didn't mind though. It was nice playing house for a little bit.

"Uh, I think someone needs a bath." Andy proclaimed sheepishly, carrying Cece into the kitchen covered in markers.

My mouth dropped open- the girl had marker ink everywhere.

On her clothes, on her skin and hair…

"What in the world happened?" I asked incredulously before wiping some of Phillips mess off his cheek.

"Uncle Andy had to use the commode and left her alone for a minute." He replied guiltily.

I scoffed, "Rookie mistake there Bernard."

He shrugged a shoulder, "I'll get it right next time."

"If they let you have a next time." I laughed.

"I mean my own kids." His look softened a bit, and it was one of the most vulnerable and sweetest looks I'd ever seen.

My heart ached. I wanted a baby so badly.

"Well Cece, should we give you a bath?" I asked the girl who was shyly resting her blonde curls against Andy's shoulder. I committed the image to memory.

"I don't know!" She replied cutely with a smile.

I winked to Andy, standing up and handing a towel for Phillip to him. He passed Cece into my arms and I quickly blew a raspberry on her cheek.

She laughed wildly, "Bath time!"

"You know it! Come on crazy girl!" I replied.

I stopped in the doorway of the kitchen and looked back at Andy sitting beside Phillip's highchair.

He winked, making my heart thump.

The smile that slowly spread on his face was one that held so much promise for the future.

"… _The sun has set, and sleepyheads all across the land are tucked into their cozy beds. Rabbit is snoozing in the weeds, and Duck is snuggled in the reeds. Bear is nestled in his cave, and Otter is rocking on a wave. But there's one little sleepyhead who's_ not _in his bed. Where, oh where, could he be?"* (excerpt from Sleepyheads by Sandra J. Howatt)_

I looked up from the page to see Cece cutely snoring in her toddler bed. I could faintly hear the front door opening and shutting signaling the return of Jim and Pam. I had been reading on the floor beside her nightlight so I quietly got up and snuck out of her room, closing the door softly behind me.

I went back into the living room and found Pam and Jim sitting on the couch talking with Andy who was rocking Phillip in a chair. I grinned and waved at them, "How did everything go?" I asked excitedly.

"Oh my gosh we found the coolest house! We put an offer down, so hopefully they'll take it." Pam replied, pulling out her phone and showing me the online listing.

"Wow look at those hardwoods!" I commented, and then gasped when a picture of the kitchen popped up. "Oh my god I'm going to visit you just to cook in that kitchen."

"Right!" Pam giggled.

"I can't believe you guys got both of them to fall asleep at the same time." Jim commented, glancing over at his son snoozing on Andy's shoulder.

"It's a gift." He shrugged his unoccupied shoulder. Pam decided to put him in his crib, so she took him off Andy's hands and bid us goodnight, thanking us again for babysitting.

We said bye to Jim and showed ourselves out. I handed Andy my keys and let him drive.

Inside the dark car, my mind was trying to figure out how to tell my new boyfriend that I wanted a baby. I watched the last of the sunset out of my window as we drove. I felt his hand slide into mine and squeeze gently. I squeezed back playfully but kept my eyes on the horizon to my right.

"You're pretty cute with a little kid." He commented boldly.

"I'm always cute." I joked, stealing a glance for a moment. His smirk was visible under the passing street lights.

I sighed, figuring I might as well be honest. "I really want a baby so damn bad."

He was silent for a few moments, so I dared to glance at him.

Andy was grazing his bottom lip with his teeth, and I immediately regretted my verbal diarrhea.

"Um, I'm sorry that popped out."

He squeezed my hand and smiled kindly, "Don't be sorry if that's how you feel." "You don't just say things like that to a new boyfriend, though! Jesus!" I couldn't look at him for the rest of the car ride.

Ten minutes later we pulled into my garage and he shut off the engine. We sat in stilled silence for a few moments before I reached for the door handle.

"Kate," he said softly, and my hand hovered mid-air. Andy was staring straight ahead, his face casted in partial shadow from the light in the garage.

"I want a baby, too…just as badly as you. I would have a baby with you tomorrow if we could," I smiled a bit at this, "but I don't want to screw this up. You and me. Let's give ourselves time. If things keep going the way they are, let's talk about it around…" he stopped to think of an appropriate time down the road.

"Christmas." I offered.

He smirked and nodded, "Deal."

I stuck out my hand teasingly, "Let's shake on it."

"Hmm, I can think of something better than that." He yanked my hand so that I went flying toward him. Our lips met in a tangle and the ache in my heart instantly melted away.

"Maybe I'll get a dog." I thought out loud as I lazily flipped through a Victoria's Secret catalogue. My feet were resting comfortably in Andy's lap as we lounged on the couch. He was flipping through the satellite menu, trying to find something to watch. He landed on _House Hunters_ with a defeated toss of the remote.

"What kind of dog?" He asked, running the pad of his thumb over the top of my foot.

"I dunno, maybe a Lab or a Golden Retriever? I wonder if the shelter has anything."

"We could go tomorrow and look if you'd like." He offered.

I rested the catalogue against my chest so I could look at him, "We don't have to. I'm just talking silly."

He shrugged in defeat and moved my feet out of his lap so he could stand up. "I'm going to have a glass of wine, would you like one?"

I nodded happily and watched his backside as he went into the kitchen.

Something was nagging at me in typical woman fashion.

"Andy?" I could hear him pop the cork on the bottle of white that had been in the fridge.

"Yes, m'lady?" His voice echoed off the tile floor.

"You weren't freaked out about the baby talk were you?"

"On a scale of one to ten, maybe a two at the most. But babies are a big deal regardless."

"Okay,"

He came back into the living room with the wine in each hand, handing me one. I sat up and thanked him, taking a quick sip.

"Why do you ask?" He wondered, looking at me intently. He sat beside me and slipped an arm over my shoulders.

"I just…I haven't been in a relationship in so long I don't want to fuck it up. The honeymoon stage is such a sensitive time I don't want to do or say the wrong thing."

"Don't worry about things like that. It takes a lot to get me to leave."

I gave him a questioning look.

"Want me to show you?" He offered. Andy grabbed the remote and switched to the DVD player. The doc DVD menu flashed on the TV screen. Selecting an episode entitled _The Duel_ , he settled back against the couch and replaced his arm around me.

"Did you really love Angela that deeply?" I asked him after the episode ended. My head rested on his shoulder comfortably- it was quickly becoming my favorite place in the world.

He took a breath, and I could tell he was contemplating. "I think I thought I did. In hindsight, it was probably an ego thing." "Oh,"

He planted a kiss in my hair and I snuggled into him deeper. A long yawn escaped me, and I closed my eyes for a moment. "Shall I take you to bed, m'lady?"

"Take me to bed or lose me forever!" I quoted with a Texas twang in my voice.

Andy let out a laugh, grabbing my hand and leading me the way.


	9. Chapter 9

I walked into the front door of Andy's house a few days later with a handful of grocery bags. I was hoping to cook him a great meal after being swamped with work at the admin office. I was passing the mouth of the hallway to the kitchen when I heard a strange sound coming from the bedroom. A chill climbed up my spine.

 _Fuck, is someone robbing us?_

I knew he didn't have a gun in the house, so I quickly grabbed the first knife I could find. Tip-toeing down the hallway, I paused in front of the bedroom door and took a deep breath, praying that the person wasn't armed. Pushing the door quickly, I was shocked to see Andy lying naked on the bed…

…with _Erin_ riding on top of him.

I screamed. I screamed bloody murder.

He turned to face me and gasped, "Kate! Oh Kate!"

I closed my eyes and felt my body jerk.

My chest was heaving as I stared up at my ceiling back in my bedroom. It was still dark outside, making the room black. I could feel the sheen of sweat beading on my forehead. To my right was the outline of a concerned Andy holding onto my arm tightly.

"Baby are you okay? You started screaming, it scared the shit out of me."

"Um, yeah. I'm so sorry, it was just a bad dream." He kissed my cheek tenderly and stroked my hair in comfort.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"No, it was stupid. I'm sorry I woke you up." I kissed the hand that was comforting me.

He found my lips quickly before turning around and going back to sleep within minutes.

Looking at the alarm clock it read a few minutes passed three in the morning. Andy's gentle snoring began beside me, signaling that he was truly out. I sighed and got out of bed as quietly as I could and went downstairs to get a bottle of water from the fridge. Taking a couple of sips, I went to sit on the couch and collect my thoughts. I didn't think that the Erin ordeal at lunch bothered me, but apparently it did below the surface.

I was wide awake, so I grabbed the remote and turned the TV on. Turning the volume down low, I switched the DVD player and watched Jim and Pam's wedding. I couldn't help but tear up- Jim was quite the romantic and I was damn proud of him. I cringed so hard when Andy hurt himself doing the splits, but I think I cringed even harder at his bright colored pants.

I heard Andy come downstairs. I thought surely I had been quiet.

"You okay? I realized you weren't beside me." He said, clad in only his boxers. He looked up at the screen and smiled, "That was a good day. It was a beautiful wedding."

"Even with your broken penis?" I teased.

He sighed and rolled his eyes. "It wasn't _broken_." He tucked my hair behind my ear, "Please tell me what your nightmare was about."

I knew he wasn't going to let it go. "I was at your house and I found you having sex with someone."

"Oh honey," He soothed, grabbing me and pulling me into his arms. "That's ridiculous and never going to happen. I know what it's like to be cheated on and that feeling is absolutely awful. I would never put you through that."

"I know. Sometimes my brain just comes up with crazy things."

We sat in silence for a few minutes as we listened to the episode. My head lay against his shoulder as I tried to push the dream from my memory.

"Who was it?" I heard him ask softly.

I took a pregnant pause before answering, "Erin."

"Kate I have absolutely no feelings for her anymore. It's completely in the past. There just came a point when I realized that we weren't meant for each other. She's just too naïve for me."

I picked my head off his shoulder. The glow of the TV played shadows on his tired face, but he was still so handsome.

His forehead rested against mine, and his smile was soft and kind. "Why would I choose that over a person who is the sexiest, kindest, most fun and passionate woman I've ever had the honor of knowing?"

"You think I'm all that?" I wondered.

"Absolutely. You're my perfect match." I could hear and feel the sincerity in his voice, and I was satisfied.

We finished watching the episode and went back upstairs to try to go back to sleep. I focused on the feeling of Andy's arms wrapped around me and it soothed my jealous thoughts. The kiss on my shoulder was the cherry on top and I fell asleep.


	10. Chapter 10

I was lazily flipping through Pinterest on my laptop, thinking about changing my classroom décor for the next school year and looking for ideas. Meanwhile, Andy was taking the time to mow my grass. It was sweet, and yet part of me wondered if he had ever mowed before. From my understanding, the Bernard's had groundskeepers and maids when Andy was growing up so there wasn't any need for him to do chores "around the house". His effort however was sincere and much appreciated.

Setting my laptop on the couch, I decided to take Andy a bottle of water.

Pushing the sliding glass door open to the backyard, I watched him mow around the patio. He looked up and smiled at me before letting go of the handle, shutting the mower off. He slipped off his sunglasses as I walked over and handed him the cold beverage, which he guzzled half of in one drink before sighing gratefully. "You're amazing,"

I smiled, "I know. Thank you so much for mowing my yard, you really didn't have to do it." I leaned forward and gave him a small peck on his lips, making sure I didn't touch him since he was covered in sweat.

"Anything for you. I'm almost done here and then I think I'll take a shower." His eyes glistened with unspoken promise, and I instinctively clinched my thighs together.

He winked before slipping his sunglasses back on and going back to the mower.

I heard Andy come up the stairs as I folded some laundry on the bed. Out of the corner of my eye I watched him as he grabbed the back of his shirt between his shoulders and slip it over his head, like something out of Fifty Shades. "Your yard is now cut and looking beautiful." He sighed, smiling warmly.

"Thank you, good sir. How shall I pay you?" I replied flirtatiously.

Andy grinned and walked over to me, slipping his hands through my hair and kissing me fiercely.

"You could help me with that shower now." He murmured against my lips, and my whole body became alive at his words.

"Happy to…" I replied, grazing my teeth lightly against his bottom lip and grinning up at him.

"Kate, I love you." He looked down at me with sincerity in his eyes, shining through straight to my heart. I bit down my bottom lip, fighting the urge to start bawling with happiness.

 _He loves me…_

"I love you back."

He grinned down at me in excitement and grabbed me in a giant hug, twirling me around and causing me to giggle happily at his reaction. It was so fast, but I knew deep down in my heart of hearts I knew it was true. Being with Andy was special, I realized it from the moment I saw him walk into Kevin's bar.

"How about that shower?" He suggested.

I could only nod before he quickly started stripping off my clothes.

A few days later, Andy took me home to Ithaca. He had to go back to work after my birthday trip since the end of spring was prime time for late college applicants and those waitlisted.

On the second day, I was washing a load of clothes for him while watching some trashy daytime television. It was coming along lunchtime and I wondered what I was going to do when my cell rang from the black, modernized coffee table.

Smiling down at the silly picture of Andy and I, I answered after the second ring.

"Hi Andy, how's your day been?"

He sighed, "It's been okay. Just a lot of applications to go through and send to the higher-ups. I was wondering if you were hungry, I'd like to take you to lunch."

"You must be psychic, I was just wondering what I was going to find to eat. Give me ten minutes to freshen up and I'll be ready for you."

He moaned quietly, "Don't word it like that, sweetheart. It does things to me."

I grinned, "You mean when I say that I'll be ready for you? Believe me Andy, when it comes that it doesn't take me ten minutes." My voice dipped provocatively.

"Fuck," he let out breathily, "it's a good thing I have my own office right now. I'm going to need a few minutes to cool off. I'll see you in ten, baby."

Inside the Ithaca Ale House, we munched on a giant plate of fries as we waited for our entrees. He was animated in telling me how his morning went. I smiled and enjoyed the enthusiasm he held for the university, as well as its staff and students. We were sharing a laugh over Andy witnessing the president tripping and spilling coffee on himself when Andy's phone rang on the table top beside him.

I noticed his brows furrow together and his hesitance in answering it.

"Who is it, Andy?"

"It's uh…my father."

 _Oh. No wonder he doesn't want to answer._

Andy swiped the screen before holding the phone up to his ear, surprising me.

"Hey Dad."

The part of the restaurant we were sitting at was fairly quiet, so I was able to hear both sides of the conversation.

" _Andrew, how are you today?"_

"I'm doing okay, a little surprised to see you call. It's been a long time since we've talked. Since you left mom." His voice dipped in unmasked bitterness.

" _Andrew there's no need for that tone. Look, that's why I'm wanting to talk to you. I'm not going to lie, your little stunt on television last year was a complete embarrassment. I know that your manager position wasn't the caliber position it could have been, but there was no need to slander our good name in public and go on that singing show."_

Andy's hand clenched in a fist and he gritted his teeth, "Everybody has moved on from that, including myself. I think you should probably do the same."

My heart dropped into my stomach, I couldn't believe this man's ego. He was one to talk when it came to slandering their name. His actions on his family were completely scandalous and poor Andy was left to pick up the pieces. My eyes slowly welled up with tears.

" _I don't want to start an argument, Andrew. I'm having Walter Junior over for dinner Friday night and I would like you to join us. From what I've heard, you have a girlfriend I need to meet."_

"Frankly Dad, I don't really think it's time for you to meet her." His eyes glanced up at me, softening when he noticed that the phone call was making me upset. He reached over and grasped my hand. I chewed on my bottom lip in nervousness. At first his statement made me a bit upset- he didn't want his father to meet me. But then after a few moments I understood what his words meant. He didn't want me to be around the toxicity that surrounded Walter Senior.

" _Nonsense, bring her along and I'll see you at my house at seven."_

"That means I'll have to leave work- " he sighed as he sat the phone down, the screen flashing the call had ended, "- early."

The phone clicked back into standby mode and he groaned, rubbing his face in frustration. "Fucking asshole." He swore under his breath.

"I'm so sorry," I whispered.

He gave me a sad smile, "Hope you're ready to meet dear old daddy. At least Walt will be there, I know he's excited to meet you."

We were interrupted momentarily as our waiter dropped off our lunch, which didn't look as appetizing as when I ordered it. I had knots growing in my stomach after the phone call.

"I wish I could take you away from all that bullshit." I said, though it looked like I was talking to my sandwich.

"I know Kate, and I'm sorry I have to pull you into it."

"Don't be. I would go through anything for you." I smile up at him shyly, and he winked. "You're such the charmer, Ms. Fletcher."

"I do what I can Mr. Bernard."

The mood at our table lifted significantly as we dug into our lunches. I pushed the thought of Walter Bernard from my mind as I focused on Andy's adorable face, and I felt myself relax.


	11. Chapter 11

I watched my reflection in the bathroom mirror as I slipped the cheerful yellow cardigan over my navy floral cocktail dress. After cinching the brown wide belt around my waist, I fastened the string of pearls I got for my college graduation around my neck.

I could hear Andy sighing in frustration from the bedroom of our cozy room at the Simsbury 1820 House. The drive from Ithaca to Simsbury, Connecticut was a long five hours. Just as Andy had said, he had worked until noon at the admissions office before leaving early. He had booked our room at the 1820 House for the weekend, hoping to show me around the "better parts" of his hometown.

Believing that my appearance was going to be as good as it was going to get, I spritzed on a little perfume before switching off the bathroom light and rejoining my boyfriend in the other room. Andy was sitting on the four-poster bed, haphazardly trying to put his watch on. I could tell he was anxious to get this over with- his brow was furrowed in deep thought as he stared off.

"Do I look okay?" I asked softly, putting my hands behind my back. My voice seemed to snap him out of his trance. I watched his eyes glance over me as a warm smile graced his handsome face, ceasing with the watch and moving to stand in front of me. Grabbing my arms, he rubbed them up and down soothingly. "You're the most beautiful thing I've ever seen." He reassured me, kissing me softly and causing zings to fly straight to my toes.

"And you're the best thing to happen to me." I replied, returning the kiss back.

Andy let out a small breath and rested his chin on the top of my head as we held one another for support. "Are you ready for this?" He asked.

"Let's get the show on the road. I'm sure it'll be okay." I smiled, forcing some confidence.

Oh, how naïve I was…

Walter Bernard, Senior had inherited a nice piece of property after his divorce from Ellen thanks to his parents, Andy's paternal grandparents. It turns out, the elder Bernard's felt that sweeping everything their son had done under the rug and making it appear like nothing had happened was the best avenue to take.

Andy parked his car in the circular driveway behind a black Lexus that had the Connecticut license plate "WALTJR". We stopped at the front door, Andy ringing the doorbell. Apparently, he didn't feel comfortable enough to just walk inside. A man with dark brown hair and matching eyes opened the door and greeted us with an excited smile. "Bro! It's so good to see you!"

"Hey Walt," Andy greeted warmly as the men embraced enthusiastically. Watching them made me feel better than he had someone close and important to him. They released and Walt suddenly turned to me and gave that charming Bernard smile that was so familiar. "And this must be the woman who stole my big bro's heart. It's so great to finally meet you in person, Kate." He hugged me as well, but a little more calmly and polite.

"You too, Walt. Andy's told me a lot about you."

"What's he said about me?" A new, deeper voice called from the mouth of the entryway. We all turned and watched as Walter, Senior walked up to us. He stared at his oldest son for a moment, as though studying him. His right hand came out for a shake, "Hello Andrew. I trust your trip was adequate?"

"Long, but adequate, thank you dad." Andy's tone was clipped. He released Walter's hand before slipping his arm around my waist and pulling me in close. "Dad this is my girlfriend Kate. Kate, my father." I smiled politely and held out my hand to him, "Nice to meet you." He nodded and smiled back, shaking my hand.

"Shall we go to the dining room?" Walter took my arm and escorted me to the direction of the dining room, while Andy and Walt followed behind.

We sat down to a soup appetizer before diving into roasted rosemary chicken, new potatoes, and asparagus. I sipped my sauvignon blanc and listened to Walt's story about his ambitions to write the next great American novel. Andy sat somewhat stoic beside me as he listened to his little brother's story. He hadn't said much throughout dinner, and I wanted nothing more than to end the night as soon as possible.

After dinner, we all retreated to the lounge where the men shared cigars and snifters of brandy. I continued with the wine. Andy and I sat comfortably on one of the couches, his arm draped around my shoulders. I lazily traced circles on his thigh, hoping to make him feel more comfortable. He kissed my temple lovingly, "You're going to drive me crazy if you keep that up," He teased. I smiled, it was wonderful hearing him finally say something to me for the first time since the car ride over.

His father's voice interrupted our private moment. "So Kate, what do you do for a living?"

"I teach fifth grade in Scranton." "Ah, education. Very good. Of course, the public schools in Pennsylvania don't have the cognitive strategy that Connecticut private schools offer."

My heart stopped for a moment- was he making those weird condescending remarks that he usually did to Andy…to me?

"Uh, well private schools have better access to certain technologies and the latest educational programs. Public schools are constantly trying to scrap by, and teachers can't afford to pay out of pocket. We do the best we can with what we are given."

I glanced at Andy, who was giving me a look of pride.

Walter looked at me like he was gearing for a challenge.

Walt just looked like he was becoming nervous.

"Well your talents could probably be better served elsewhere, Kate." Walter 'assured' me.

"Dad, I think Kate's happy where she's at." Andy encouraged.

"Andrew, Kate is a big girl. I think she can speak for herself without having your opinions be heard."

The fallen look on Andy's face was the beginning of my undoing. The verbal diarrhea was building and and there was no stopping the speeding train.

"Mr. Bernard, Andy's opinion means the world to me. And the fact that he's sticking up for me against _you_ means even more."

Walter looked confused, and slightly insulted. "Excuse me? What exactly do you mean by that?"

"Kate…" Andy murmured softly beside me. I ignored him. It was time this happened.

"I mean that you have been so incredibly hard on Andy his _whole life_ and he has done nothing but work his ass off to appease you! And you go and treat him like crap! Nothing he ever does is good enough for you in your eyes! Who the hell renames their child when they're _six_? And you know what else? I have no idea how he turned out so wonderful despite all the short comings he dealt with thanks to you. Andy is a _good man_ and you should be proud of him!"

I was out of breath after my speech, and the three Bernard men stared at me incredulously before Walter stood up out of his chair, looking thoroughly peeved.

"How dare you speak to me like that in my own home!"

I stood up as well, holding my own. "Well let me save you the trouble. I'll see myself out. Thank you for dinner." I spat. I turned around and promptly walked out of the lounge, not even knowing if Andy was following me or not. I made sure to grab my purse at the entryway before walking out the front door to Andy's car.

It was unlocked luckily, and I slid in my seat.

"Fuck," I muttered.

Did I just ruin my relationship?

I certainly ruined any relationship with Andy's father.

The tears were threatening to spill, but I refused to cry. Walter deserved to hear it. I would never take it back.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Andy come out in a hurry and look around before seeing me in the car. He got in and didn't say a word, but pulled the car onto the road back to our hotel. It wasn't a long drive, maybe ten minutes max. I chewed at my bottom lip- was this the end of our relationship? We were still so new, would he find this unforgiveable? I looked at Andy, and his face gave away nothing. He looked like he was in a hurry.

We pulled into a parking spot and the weight of the last fifteen minutes, and the ramifications of my actions flooded over me. The tears began to flow down my face- I couldn't stop them anymore.

Andy pulled me into his arms and kissed the top of my head lovingly.

"Shh, why are you crying Kate?"

"I'm so sorry, Andy! I don't know what came over me! Please don't hate me! I'll go back to your dad's and apologize…"

"Please don't. Nobody has ever stuck up for me like that to him. Not even my mother. I should be thanking you." His tone was soft and loving.

I looked up at him, and he smiled in a way I'd never seen before. He wiped my tears away with his thumbs, and I closed my eyes at his touch.

Andy began planting feather-light kisses on my face, and it was like a hotline to my nether region. I was so afraid he was going to dump me, and here he was thanking me.

"Want to go get a drink at the bar?" I asked.

"No, I have something else in mind." He planted a hard kiss to my mouth before getting out of the car. He swung around to my side and opened my door, helping me out.

We made it to our room in record time.


	12. Chapter 12

We lay in the four-poster bed an hour later, the last remnants of the sunset glowing through the curtains of our room. I was lying on my stomach as he lazily drew circles on my naked back- I loved when he did this. Any traces of fear from the evening disappeared as we were wrapped up in each other.

"Why are you smiling?" He murmured happily. His hair had fallen over his forehead and my fingers itched to push it back into place.

"Because I'm so happy right now, and I love you."

That caused Andy to break out into a smile. "Now why are you smiling?" I teased.

"Because hearing that makes me want to make love to you all over again."

I giggled and moved to straddle him. He felt hard underneath me- I couldn't believe his stamina.

"Tell me you love me." I said as my hands traveled over his chest. I felt like such a goddess at the moment.

"I love you more than you know, Kate." His hands came around cupped my bottom, giving a playful squeeze.

"Make love to me, Andy."

"With pleasure, m'lady."

We shared a bubble bath and relaxed in the jets before getting ready for bed. "Thanks for bringing me out here," I smiled at him through the mirror as he wrapped me up in a towel, hugging me from behind. He planted a kiss below my ear and a blush came over my cheeks. "Even with all of my dad's fucked up-ness?" He asked, putting his chin on the top of my head.

"He doesn't scare me. I'm not going to let him get under my skin, it's not worth it. All that matters is what _you_ think of me."

He looked a little relieved. "It's not going to scare you off?"

I shook my head.

He planted a kiss in my hair, "Thank you." He whispered against it.

I stayed in the bathroom to do my nightly routine while he went in the bedroom.

"Shit," I heard him mutter.

"What's wrong?" I asked him from the doorway with a toothbrush hanging out of my mouth. He was staring down at his phone, shaking his head. Earlier he had set his phone to silent once we got to our room so we wouldn't be interrupted. "My dad called like, twenty times and left a voicemail."

"Uh oh." I replied before going back into the bathroom to spit and rinse.

I heard the distinct voice of Walter, Senior through his speaker phone as Andy played the voicemail: _"Andrew this is your father. How dare you just allow her to talk to me like that? That is highly disrespectful of a guest to treat the host in such a manner! I don't see how you should continue a relationship with her if she is going to treat your family like…"_

"God, just go rot in hell!" Andy abruptly deleted the voicemail. He rubbed his brow in mild frustration. I felt so bad that now he was going to be torn between myself and his father. However, I knew that the relationship between them had weathered such a big enough chasm that it wouldn't have mattered anyway.

I felt more reassured that my prior actions weren't going to have negative consequence with Andy, atleast. Finishing up, I switched off the bathroom light and sunk my tired body between the sheets. Andy quickly ducked into the bathroom to do his thing, and I fell asleep just as his arms wrapped around me.

My eyes popped open as a ray of light danced over my face, making me squint. I glanced at the bedside alarm clock and read that it was just about ten in the morning.

 _Holy shit I don't_ ever _sleep in this late!_

I had a pressing need for the bathroom. Slipping out bed quietly, I tiptoed to do my business. A shower sounded amazing, so I set the water to just barely hot before stripping off my pajamas and getting in. The shower head was way better than the one I had at the condo, so I took advantage of the awesome water pressure.

I kept it short, drying off with a towel before wrapping it around my wet hair.

Andy was still lying in bed with his eyes closed when I crept to my suitcase to get a change of clothes. After slipping on clean panties and the bra that was still discarded on the floor from the night before, I pulled on my favorite pair of khaki shorts and a black blouse with the cold shoulder cutouts and a pretty rose print.

Andy finally let out a moan and stretched out in bed, reaching out on my side to notice that I wasn't there. He opened his eyes and saw that I was dressed for the day.

"Bout time, lazy head." I teased, rubbing the towel over my head one last time.

"What time is it?" He asked groggily.

I looked at the alarm clock again, which now read 10:33.

"A little after ten thirty."

"Wow, I never sleep this late!" He remarked as he got out from under the covers.

"Neither do I, I wonder what made us sleep so long?" I questioned out loud.

I followed him into the bathroom where I began to dry my hair while he stepped into the shower himself.

"Want to go have coffee and brunch?" He asked through the curtain. "There's a really great place that serves delicious popovers."

"Whatever you'd like, sweetie."

"Then after that we can take a driving tour of the town or something." He seemed much more relaxed and in better spirits than yesterday. I wanted to put yesterday behind us as quickly as possible.

I finger combed my hair as I dried it, watching Andy come out of the shower in all his naked glory. He wasn't in sculpted shape, but I noticed he was beginning to carry himself in a different manner. A more confident manner. And it made me extremely happy.

He swatted my bottom teasingly, and I giggled and pointed the hairdryer at him in retaliation.

We walked into the restaurant and sitting by himself at a table for four was Walt. He was sipping on a coffee and reading the newspaper.

"Is he here waiting on us?" I murmured to Andy as I gripped at his hand tighter, "Is your father going to come?"

He shook his head as he spoke, "No. Walt wanted to visit with us without my father being around. He's on our side, don't worry."

Walt looked up from his paper and smiled at us, standing up to greet us both with a warm hug. "Hey you two! Thanks for coming out. Order whatever you want, it's on me today."

"You're in a good mood little bro." Andy commented as we sat across from Walt.

"Well, after you guys left yesterday and dad went berserk- I came to see that there really is no hope in salvaging any kind of relationship with the man."

"What do you mean?" Andy asked as he studied his brother carefully. I decided to look down at my menu.

"He started to belittle Kate after she _amazingly_ stuck up for you, belittling your choices for girlfriends, and then turned the tables on me when I went to therapy after everything went down. I just got up and left after that."

"Did he try to call you a hundred times?" Andy quipped and the boys chuckled at the unspoken answer.

"Just don't be surprised if mom tries to call you." Walt added before taking a sip of his coffee.

"Why do you say that?" Andy asked, finally looking up from his menu.

"I guess dad called her to see if she put everyone up to the 'charade'. When she found out what Kate said she called me to see if I still had the diamond from grandma's engagement ring."

That caused my neck to snap up as I stared at Walt with my mouth hanging open. He winked over his coffee mug as he took another sip.

We were saved from any further embarrassment by the waiter coming up to take our drink order.


	13. Chapter 13

Hey everyone! I appreciate everyone who has been taking the time to read this. I'm having a hard time getting my formatting to transfer over here, so everything just comes out in one big blob and doesn't make sense during transitions- if anybody has any advice on how I can fix this I would appreciate it! Please leave reviews, comments, suggestions- it definitely keeps me motivated to write! Much appreciation! ~finallyfree2b

* * *

"So do you think Andy's going to get the diamond?" Pam asked me a few days later as she brought more newspaper into the living room.

I was back in Scranton helping Jim and Pam pack up their house. After the big Bernard family weekend, I decided to go back home. Andy was going on a job related trip to Michigan and wouldn't be back until Friday night. To be honest, I was a little glad to be by myself. It's not that I didn't love Andy and spending time with him, but we were together a lot recently, and we needed some time apart.

I bit my lip in thought as I grabbed a section of newspaper and began wrapping it around a picture frame.

"I don't know Pam, we've only been together a few weeks. I know that he and I have been moving a little fast, but there's a lot that we would have to discuss before going down that road."

"Like what?" She wrapped a framed photo of her and Jim's wedding day before putting it a cardboard box labeled 'Fragile- Living Room'.

"Well, clearly between us I would have to be the one to transfer. He has such a negative stigma about Scranton that there's no way he is going to leave Cornell. So, I would have to put my house up for sale, get a license to teach in New York as well as find a job."

We could both hear the lilt of frustration in my voice, and decided to take our topic of conversation a different route.

"I can't believe you guys are leaving in two days. I feel so gypped that I've lived here for nine years and never got the chance to know you guys until now." I sighed as I looked at a framed picture of Jim and Pam at a Dunder Mifflin company picnic. They looked adorable in their matching t-shirts and bright, happy smiles.

"Jim and I were just talking about that the other night! It would've been so nice to have another girlfriend to vent to when I was dealing with Roy and all the drama with Jim and Karen."

"That must have been a crappy time, especially having it filmed."

"I tried watching the doc, I got about four episodes in and stopped. I wasted a lot of time pining over Jim and not doing anything about it. I've never had a more bigger regret."

I stopped what I was doing and looked at her, immediately finding the double meaning in her words.

"What are you trying to tell me, Pam?" I asked cutely, with a shit eating grin.

Her smile was warm as she said, "All I'm saying is that life isn't long, and if this is what your heart is saying is the right thing, then you shouldn't let anything stop you. You obviously haven't let Andy's dad stopped you, and I've met that man- he's intense."

"That he is. But I was blessed with a mouth that sometimes can't stop."

"That's what she said!" Jim, who popped his head into the living room, and Pam said at the same time- almost excitedly.

I looked at them incredulously before busting up laughing, "What the hell was that?"

"That was Michael's big catchphrase at work. It became engrained in our brains over the years. It's more endearing now than it was then." Jim explained as he gave a wink to Pam and sat on the couch.

"How come Kate and I are doing all this packing?" Pam accused teasingly.

"Well I figured since the kids are with my parents for the night, we could take a break and go to Poor Richard's or something."

"That sounds alright to me, but I'm buying the first round." I said, giving them a good teacher look.

"Well, I'm not going to say no to that!" Jim nodded.

"Should we see if Dwight and Angela want to come?" Pam asked him, wrapping one more picture frame.

"I can text him," He agreed, slipping his phone from his pocket and typing quickly on the screen.

I heard my own phone chirp from the coffee table and grabbed it, knowing it would be Andy. It was going on six o'clock in the Central time zone, seven our time.

 _Hi sweetheart. Missing you a lot. Michigan is too far away. What are you up to?_

I smiled and quickly typed a response:

 _It is too far away, I miss you too. I'm helping Pam and Jim pack up their house. We're going to Poor Richard's now, and they're trying to get Dwight and Angela to come with us._

 _Wow! I wish I were there, a drink and relaxing with the gang sounds amazing right now. It's kind of sexy that you're getting along with my friends so well._

 _I'm just kind of sexy no matter what, Mr. Bernard. And you'd do right to remember that!_

 _Believe me, I count my lucky stars every day love._

Color rose in my cheeks at his response and I bit my lip habitually.

"Andy?" Pam asked me teasingly.

"Am I that transparent?" I replied, looking at her.

"Cling wrap transparent." Jim teased for his wife. "Dwight and Angela will meet us in an hour."

"So what is it that you see in Andy?" Angela asked me as she sipped on her tonic water and lime. We were snuggled together in a corner at the pub.

"What did _you_ see in Andy?" I questioned back boldly with a grin. I was two gin and tonics in, and feeling more comfortable with the group than ever before.

We all shared a laugh before she answered, "I admit, I was trying to make Dwight jealous. It obviously worked. It's not one of my finer moments, but we've all moved past it. Andy has good qualities, they're probably better now than they were when he worked for Dunder Mifflin."

I liked Angela a lot, and I enjoyed her candor.

"He really does. There's just this unspoken attraction between us. He's very sweet, he's passionate about what truly matters to him…he's everything I've been looking for." I couldn't help the grin that graced my face.

"You've got it bad," Dwight commented before taking a swig from his bottle.

"From what I watched of the doc, so did you." I replied.

"Still do," He shrugged and then planted a soft kiss in Angela's hair.

The next morning, I decided to give the kitchen floor a good mopping. I had good ol' Sinatra playing from the TV again (because it made me think of the first night I was with Andy) and sang along. I had to admit, I was in a great mood.

As I was ringing out the mop over the bucket, I saw a figure walking up the sidewalk from the sliding door on the left. Assuming it was the mailman, I continued to mop near the garage door. When the doorbell rang, I immediately knew my assumption was wrong.

Carefully walking through the kitchen, I stopped to lower the volume on the TV before answering the door.

A woman with a short blonde haircut stood on the other side. She was dressed in a smart looking matching teal pantsuit.

"Hi, can I help you?" I asked politely.

"Are you Kate?" She asked, looking a little nervous.

"Yes, I am."

"My name is Ellen Bernard."

My jaw dropped open a bit. _Holy shit…_

"I'm Andy's mother."

It took me a minute to find my voice, and I embarrassingly stuttered a bit, "Um, M-Ms. Bernard, what a surprise. Please, come in and have a seat."

I moved out of the way and showed her to the grading couch.

"Can I get you something to drink? Water, coffee, tea?"

"No, thank you. I don't want to take up much of your time. I just wanted to speak to you in person and finally meet the woman who is making my son so happy."

I parked in the recliner by the television so that I could face her and crossed my legs politely.

"Well it's wonderful to finally meet you as well, Ms. Bernard."

"Please, call me Ellen. I have to thank you first off, Kate."

"Thank me?" I was a little confused.

"Nobody has stood up to Walter like that in his whole life, except maybe his parents. I have to say, part of me is a little jealous." She uncomfortably played with one of her earrings as it looked like her mind was going somewhere else than my living room.

"Andy showed me an episode of the documentary when everything…fell apart…I'm so very sorry."

She straightened her posture a little more and smiled, "It was for the best, really. I don't tell Andy this enough, but I was so grateful for what he did for me. Taking care of that mess, on top of his brother's…episode. He really is a wonderful son. I hate that I allowed Walter to run him over so much. I saw how much Andy craved his acceptance. I'm his mother and I just stood idly by all those years and did nothing." Her eyes began to get misty, and my heart broke for this woman.

I stood up and grabbed a tissue from the coffee table, moving to sit beside her on the couch as I handed it to her. She murmured her thanks as she dabbed her eyes.

"Ellen I hate to seem callus, but shouldn't you be saying all this to Andy?"

She nodded as she spoke, "I know I do. It's a little embarrassing to admit that you're afraid of making such a speech to your own child." She let out a half hearted chuckle.

"Andy loves you very much, I'm sure he'd be more than happy to have this heart to heart with you. He gets back from Michigan Friday evening, maybe you could get together with him Saturday?" I suggested. I couldn't help but feel like the teacher mediator.

"I like that idea. I like it a lot. Thank you, Kate. I'm so relieved that Andy has found someone so poised and wonderful as you. It's refreshing to see. He's been like a new man this past year, I'm so proud of him."

"You didn't like any of his other girlfriends?" I asked, trying to lighten the mood a bit.

"Angela always acted like she had a stick up her ass, I wasn't very happy about that engagement. Thank God she had that affair and it ended! That Erin girl that he worked with was just ridiculous, I'll be honest. He had another girlfriend between dating Erin, her name was Jessica I believe. I liked her, mostly because she was somewhat normal and respectful. They were pretty serious, I really thought he was going to propose to her. That's when I gave him Walter's mother's engagement ring, just without the diamond."

My heart sunk a little in my stomach- so the ring had actually been for someone else once upon a time.

"Why no diamond?" I wondered.

"Because I didn't trust her completely." She answered candidly.

"Walt mentioned last weekend that you asked for the diamond back."

Ellen smiled brightly, "Yes, I did."

"How come?" I was on pins and needles, holding my breath without even realizing it.

"Because this time Andy's made the right choice. I trust _you_ completely."

"Even before meeting me?" I wondered, my eyes taking a turn and getting wet.

She shrugged, "I didn't have to. You sticking up for my son was all I needed to hear. And now that I've met you, I know my decision was right."


	14. Chapter 14

I hadn't heard from Andy since he called me Friday night to tell me he'd made it back to Ithaca safely. I was too chicken to tell him about the lovely visit I had from his mother.

I woke up Sunday morning to the sound of thunder clapping outside. I could see the dark, murky sky through the slits of the closed blinds and rolled onto my side, wrapping my comforter around myself tighter. I was just about to drift off again when I heard the doorbell ring.

I groaned.

Who the hell was trying to visit me so early in the morning?

I sighed and slipped out of bed before finding the pair of sweats I had discarded on my vanity chair from the night before. I pulled my hair in a ponytail as I padded downstairs and smoothed down Andy's Cornell t-shirt that I stole from his house.

Looking through the peephole in the door, I gasped when I saw a soaked Andy on the other side.

Frantically I did the locks before throwing the door open, my mouth open in shock.

"Jesus, Andy!" Another clap of thunder rolled.

"Oh Kate," He said in an almost painful tone as he crossed the threshold and scooped me up in a tight hug. The rainwater from his jacket soaked into my t-shirt, but I could feel tears as he buried his face in the crook of my neck.

"Honey what's wrong? What happened?" I couldn't control the worry that clouded my voice. My fingers dove into his hair as I let him weep softly. There was a chill outside, and I wordlessly coaxed him away from the door, shutting it behind us with a kick of my foot.

I couldn't take not knowing anymore. I pulled his face up and studied his watery expression, and my heart broke for my man. I gave him a soft peck on the mouth and wiped his tears with my thumbs. "Talk to me Andy. Please."

He sighed and ran a hand over his face before pulling my hand and leading me to the couch.

"My mom came to visit me yesterday." He said, wavering slightly.

I snuggled up against him as he leaned back against the couch, his arms immediately wrapping around me.

"How did it go?" I asked quietly. I closed my eyes and listened to his heartbeat through his clothing.

"It was…the best conversation we've ever had. I was so shocked when she showed up to my door."

I smiled and snuggled into him more, "Andy I'm so glad! I was hoping you two would be able to work things out."

I felt his arms tightening around me.

"I know it was because of you, Kate." He whispered.

"I didn't do anything. She came to _my_ door. Why did it make you so upset and want to drive all the way down here?"

"I just…never got that kind of loving attention from her as long as I can remember. I knew she was living under my dad's thumb, but I never knew it caused her to act the way that she did. She told me that she loved me- you know how long it's been since I heard her say that, Kate? Probably my 5th birthday."

My heart broke for Andy as a little boy. If it were my child, they would know every day that I loved them.

"That's terrible. I'm so sorry you had to go through that."

His voiced softened a bit, "If we really do decide to have a child together someday, and I start acting like my father…I want you to promise me that you won't go down my mother's route."

"Andy, you're not going to…"

"Just promise me!" He interrupted.

"Yes, of course I promise."

"I refuse to have my children turn out like I did."

I was confused at his words. "What are you talking about? You turned out great."

"I can't say I'm very proud of my last twenty years."

"Well, we'll just have to make sure that the next twenty are even better." I encouraged.

"Only if you're there with me." He began his habit of drawing on my back with his finger.

"It's a date," I replied, echoing Jim's words to Pam after dumping Karen at the corporate interview. I may have watched a couple more episodes while Andy was away…

We sat in a comfortable silence for a few minutes enjoying the sounds of the rain before he spoke up, "I can't believe you got my mother's approval before meeting her. That never happens."

"Speaking of approval…" I started. I knew I was going to bust our happy little moment a bit, but I had to bring it up for my sake.

"Why do I get the feeling this is going to suck?" He asked.

I smirked, "Don't worry about it. Just ripping the band aid off, Andy."

"Shit," he muttered teasingly.

"So, your mother mentioned something about the elicit engagement ring while she was here. She brought up a lovely girlfriend named Jessica and that you were thinking about giving it to her."

"That is true. I was torn whether to do it. But then Erin moved to Florida and I decided that I wanted to be with her instead. So, I broke up with her. I have only proposed to one woman in my life, and that was Angela. I uh, don't have the ring anymore."

This caused me to pop up and look him in the face.

"Seriously? What happened to it?"

He smiled his boyish grin, "I gave it back to mom yesterday. Walt can have it and the diamond."

I was starting to feel a wave of doubt and despair roll over me when his words halted all thinking, "When I propose to you Kate, it's going to be with a ring that doesn't have any Bernard baggage- mine or my family's."

"When?" I asked shyly.

"When." He nodded firmly and leaned forward, kissing me sweetly.

I broke the kiss to stand up. Grabbing his hand, I pulled him up to his feet.

"C'mon Nard Dog. I haven't seen you in a week and I want to go back to bed." I pulled him in the direction of the staircase.

"Is that my Cornell t-shirt?" He asked once we made it to the bedroom.

"No, it's Broccoli Rob's. He wanted me to tell you hi." I tried to look serious but I had a shitty poker face and started giggling.

Andy's tickling attack was merciless and swift.


	15. Chapter 15

A little over a month later, I found myself back at Schrute Farms getting ready to celebrate the Fourth of July. A few of Andy's former co-workers were milling about outside while I glanced through the kitchen window out to the beet field, finding Mose dressing the scarecrow in a patriotic dress. Andy was due to arrive within the hour from Ithaca, but I came early to help Angela with dinner. Dwight was manning the grill, and I wondered if he actually was serving horse burgers, or if it was a joke. My stomach rolled violently at the thought and I had to take a breath to calm myself.

I had been feeling under the weather for the past week, but I didn't want to miss the party. I bit my bottom lip, my mind going to the brown paper sack sitting in my purse in the living room. Mathematically, I was 4 weeks late. Mathematically, those 4 weeks added up from the weekend where I met Andy's mom and he surprised me at home. That rainy morning that turned into several sessions of him showing me how much he appreciated bridging the gap in his relationship with his mom.

If I really was pregnant, not only are we ahead of schedule of when we would actually talk about having kids, but what would happen with us? How would we work this out?

"Kate? Are you okay?" Angela asked softly, noticing I had stopped slicing tomatoes.

"Um, I don't know. I think I need to uh, use the restroom." My mind was swirling.

"Okay, I'll finish up here. Take your time." She rubbed my arm soothingly before I walked into the living room and grabbed my purse, making a beeline for the new bathroom that Angela had made Dwight build into the house. She refused to live with him until he stopped making her use the outhouse.

After peeing on the stick and washing my hands, I sat on the edge of the claw foot tub and waited. What was it going to say?

Outside the bathroom door, I heard Andy's voice greeting Angela. Her response was muffled, but I was sure I heard her say "Kate" and "bathroom".

Fuck.

His footsteps got louder and a moment later, his soft knock echoed. "Kate honey, I'm here. Angela said you weren't feeling well, are you okay?"

Shit, do I tell him now? Show him the stick?

"Yeah I fine, I'll be out in just a minute!" I called back. I shoved the capped stick into the pocket of my shorts and grabbed my purse from the counter.

"Hi sweetie!" I put on my best grin as I came out of the bathroom.

He sighed happily as he wrapped his arms around me. I loved his hugs- they always made me feel safe. "I'm glad you made it." I murmured into his ear.

He planted feather light kisses on that spot on my neck, shooting fireworks throughout my body and I instantly began to relax. We swayed slightly to a silent tune, just enjoying being together for the first time in a week and a half.

"I love you." He whispered against my neck.

"Back 'atcha Nard Dog. Let's go be social." He took my arm and escorted me outside, the stick in my pocket soon pushed to the back of my mind.

Most of the ex-Dunder Mifflin crew had come, except for the ones who were too far away like Michael, Nellie, Stanley, and Jim and Pam. Darrell had been traveling nearby for Athleap and promised to come by later in the evening.

Andy went to get us some ginger ale's while I sat on the porch swing. Toby was sitting on one of the porch rockers and we fell into a comfortable conversation. From what I understood, everyone wasn't very fond of him, and he did weird me out sometimes, however it was part of my profession to listen to stories that take forever to explain and don't make a lot of sense. I just put on my teacher smile and nodded as Toby explained in glorious detail the "latest in the Chad Flenderson" book series.

"Chow's on!" I heard Dwight's voice exclaim from around the house. "I hope it's not horse sliders again…" Toby grumbled under his breath as he got up. Andy walked up with two bottles of ginger ale and sat them on the porch railing.

"Did you have fun talking to Toby?" Andy asked with a teasing smile. I sighed and rolled my eyes for dramatic effect, "How is that man not murdered every hour?" I teased back, quoting him from one of the doc episodes.

Andy chuckled and put his arm around my waist this time as we made our way to the tent where the food was set up buffet style. Of course, as fate would have it, we ended up in line behind Erin and Pete.

Erin turned and smiled up at Andy before looking at me, her face falling ever so slightly. "Hi Andy, and uh, Kate. Glad you were able to come today."

"We've been sent good weather." I replied with a bright smile, quoting the novel I was currently reading, "The Handmaid's Tale".

That comment caught her off guard, because her mouth opened and closed several times like a fish before I pointed behind her, "I think the line's moving." I whispered and winked. She turned back around, flustered and grabbed a plate. I caught Andy's eye from beside me, getting a "Did you really?" look. I shrugged my shoulders and feigned perfect innocence.

"Is that all you're going to eat?" Andy asked as we sat back down on the porch swing after making our way through the line. I glanced down at my paper plate that held a handful of potato chips, a scoop of slaw, and one of Angela's brownies.

"Are you sure you're okay?" The concern etched on his face made my heart ache, and I nodded.

"It's probably just something I ate yesterday that didn't agree with me. I'll be fine." I leaned forward and pecked his lips gently.

"Okay…" He wasn't buying what I was selling but let the issue drop for now.

I managed to kill the chips and half the brownie before my stomach was beginning to protest. A few sips of ginger ale calmed it as I set my plate down on the small table beside me.

Young Philip Schrute (formerly Lipton) toddled up the stairs and it became a welcomed distraction. I sat him on my lap and he snatched one of the chips off Andy's plate, causing Philip and I to giggle and Andy to pretend to be upset.

For a three year old, he held a pretty good attention span as he sat there with us. Angela came to check on him, but I told her to take a motherly break.

A cool breeze whipped around the house as Philip snuggled into my hold, his head tucked adorably underneath my chin. My heart throbbed as I bit my bottom lip, my thoughts returning to the stick in my pocket, the results still unknown. By that time, Andy had gone to throw away our trash and walked back up the porch steps with Kevin to find us that way.

"Did you bore him to sleep?" He kidded, coming to sit back down beside me and wrapping an arm around my shoulders. To an outsider, we probably looked like a quaint family.

"I am the baby whisperer." I joked.

We swayed on the porch talking with Kevin, who couldn't help but give me a shit -eating grin. I tried to avoid it as he and Andy discussed getting together for a jam session sometime. Philip's soft baby snores echoed vibrated through my body.

The sun was setting through the trees of the farmland, and the faint boom of fireworks echoed overhead. Dwight and Angela came up on the porch and smiled at us.

"I'm just going to get him settled inside." Angela said, scooping him up gently from my arms and taking him to his room.

"I think we'll start the smaller fireworks soon before it gets dark." Dwight said, pulling a pipe from his overalls and stuffing some tobacco inside before lighting it.

The smell instantly pulled a memory of sitting in the den of my parent's home, my dad lighting the pipe that once belonged to his father before him. I used to love sitting in his lap while he smoked his pipe. With the memory brought the familiar ache inside when I would think of my parents for a long period of time.

"Shall we?" Andy held out his hand for me to stand up, and we walked together with the others to the clearing where Dwight had a huge stash of fireworks piled about. "He didn't skimp out, did he?" I asked as we found a bench to relax on.

"When has he ever?" Andy replied, smirking. I shrugged a shoulder, only agreeing. "You sure you're okay?" He wondered, pushing some of my hair off my shoulder. "You look like you've got something pressed on your mind."

I looked at him and admired his sweet face, concern etched all over it.

A boom exploded down in the valley as Dwight began his firework show. We were momentarily distracted, and I could feel Andy's arm go around my waist, his hand wrapping around my hip where it rested where my pocket was. Where the test was.

I could feel his fingers move over the bulge, trying to figure out what was inside.

"What's that in your pocket?" He wondered as the next firework of blue and red burst over Schrute Farms.

Guess it was now or never. At least I could stop worrying.

I slipped my hand in and slowly pulled out the test, my heart beating furiously in my chest. Andy looked down and his eyes bugged, "Oh-oh-oh my God is that really…? Are you…?"

"I don't know, I haven't checked it yet." My voice grew soft, and I could already feel the tears behind my eyes.

He took a deep breath, "On the count of three, we'll look together. One…"

I felt dizzy, I hoped I wasn't going to pass out.

"Two…"

He was counting too slow, so I interrupted. "Three!"

I turned the test over to where the little window faced up at us.

"Oh my God," he whispered, his eyes glistening and the biggest grin I had ever seen on his face.

"Are you happy?" I asked. My heart was soaring but my thoughts were flying everywhere.

"So fucking happy." Andy replied pulling me in close, our lips meeting quickly. I wrapped my arms around his neck, the positive test still in my hand.


End file.
